


Daughters of Time

by rationalbookworm



Series: Super Old/Abandoned Works [10]
Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: F/M, I hardly even remember this, It's actually better than I remember, past me made present me cry so..., re-reading this while I post, that being said its not very good, the first full length story I ever finished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 85,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rationalbookworm/pseuds/rationalbookworm
Summary: The Doctor and Professor just happen to meet two small girls on two different nights who happen to have connections to their past companions. And why do they have abilities beyond their time and species?One of the first fanfictions I ever wrote. Don't really remember any of it, but hopefully it's still good.The sequel will be posted soon.Originally posted November 2012-October 2013
Relationships: Ninth Doctor/Original Female Character(s), Tenth Doctor/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Super Old/Abandoned Works [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1442953
Kudos: 4





	1. Lost In Time: Billie

The shouting was giving her a headache. Worse than the constant one she’d had since she could remember, anyway. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen this coming. The moment her mother announced they’d be going to see her Aunt Sarah, Billie knew there would be a row. A very loud one, at that. She also knew _why_ her mother wanted to come. It was never just a visit with her baby sister that drew her to Ealing; there was always a catch. Apparently, from what Billie could gather, eavesdropping at the top of the stairs of her Aunt’s home with her older brother, their mum had gone and given the rent money to some guy who promised her the world and then ran off. This wasn’t the first time that had happened either. Ever since her husband died eight years ago, Lizzie Carter had had a string of one night stands and destructive relationships. Billie being the product of one of said relationships. Or was it one of the one night stands. She couldn’t remember, despite the fact that her mother liked to point out what a mistake she was whenever she got pissed. So almost every day, really.

Never one to linger in self-pity, Billie turned back to the row below. Aunt Sarah was furious. Not only because of the wastefulness of Lizzie, or the bad choices she made daily, but also because she had been packing to leave on holiday when they’d barged in. Only Lizzie Carter would expect her younger sister to drop everything to bail her out of trouble. Again.

“But what about Greg and Billie?” her mother yelled. Billie knew she was only mentioned because Aunt Sarah actually cared about her. Calling once a week to check on how school was and things like that. She was always the person Billie relied on most in life. If her mother was dragging her name into this for sympathy points, then she must be desperate.

Billie sighed, “I need some air.”

Greg just nodded, knowing she needed be alone at the moment. They both hated being pawns in their mother’s twisted games. He squeezed her hand in sympathy before she moved quietly down the stairs, peering around the banister to check that the coast was clear before nabbing her coat on the hook near the door and hurrying out, closing the door as silently as possible behind her. It wouldn’t do to get caught and then have her mother yell at _her_ for the next hour instead of Aunt Sarah.

Tucking behind her ears straggly brown locks that had fallen out of the hastily made ponytail, Billie trudged down the street, trying and failing to block out the cacophony of voices pressing in on her mind. Ever since she could remember, she heard them. Voices everywhere. So many, sometimes it was hard to hear her own thoughts. When she told her mum, she’d called her crazy and threatened to send her to a child therapist. Until she found out the cost that is. Then she just ordered her daughter never to mention the voices ever again or she’d be taken away. That was enough to scare any four-year-old into submission.

It wasn’t until about two years ago she started to catch on to what they really were. It was during one of the nights her mother had a boyfriend over. Amongst all the babble of voices in her head, Billie started to hear one voice above the rest. A male voice she’d heard before. She glanced over to the man sitting on the sofa staring at her, but his lips weren’t moving. And yet the voice continued, painting a picture of the most horrid things about her. Things that would disgust even adults. Billie had quickly ran from the room and locked herself in the bedroom she shared with her brother, sinking down to the floor, her back pressed against the door as she sobbed.

She could hear people’s thoughts. It was the only explanation she could think of at seven. Now, two years later, she knew it to be fact.

As time grew on, Billie was able to build a small amount of control over it. She could push it all back until it was a dull buzzing noise in the back of her mind, unless of course someone’s voice was “yelling”. If she concentrated on person’s voice she could bring it forward and hear only their thoughts, drowning out everyone else’s. But none of this made it go away completely. Every day she heard voices of neighbors and schoolmates and family, some so loud it was like they were screaming in her ear. Her head continually throbbed from all the noise. It was like her own voice was lost, even inside her own head. She had no control of her life, or her mind. She felt so helpless.

Billie growled, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she wondered onto a playground. The day was too overcast for most children to be out playing, so the swing set was wonderfully deserted. Dropping down onto the nearest swing, Billie rubbed her temples, knowing it wouldn’t help but having to try anyway. She sighed as she kicked out to push the swing back and forth a little, once again getting lost in the voices of the surrounding populace.

_Three eggs, two teaspoons of salt…_

_Maybe I should tell him about the baby, then…_

_Grrr, these stupid jeans shrunk again! There’s no way…_

_I hope mom doesn’t find those magazines…_

_The blue or the black? I hope he likes the way I…_

_Come, little humans. Feed us. Let us feed from your time…_

Billie froze at the sound of the hushed, gravelly voice. _Feed us? Humans?_ Something was so not right.

Biting her lip nervously, she reached out with her mind, pinpointing where the thoughts were coming from, while attempting to ignore the actual words they were using. It was far too disturbing.

Finally she found a general location somewhere down the street. She knew if she followed it, the voice (or voices now; it had been joined by three more) would get louder until she finally came upon whoever was thinking. She’d done this more than once when searching for her brother in their crappy school. But did she really want to find the thing thinking about feeding off of people. _Yes,_ her stupid curious side voted. Before she could come to a decision, the voices were bouncing through her head again, making it hard to concentrate.

Sighing, she hopped off the swing and headed down the street, hoping she wouldn’t come to regret this later.

Following the voice was easy enough, and the suburban neighborhood didn’t question a nine-year-old walking by herself on a summer afternoon, albeit a chilly one so she was never stopped by her Aunt’s friendly neighbors. She tugged her coat a little tighter around her small frame as she approached the house the voices were emanating from. Haunted, was the first word that came to mind when she tried to describe it. Clearly no one had lived here for a very long time. The once bright paint was chipped and faded. Shutters hung lopsidedly from boarded up windows and the porch was missing a step. The door was still there but was cracked near the door handle as though someone had tried to kick it in. A chill ran down Billie’s spine as she stared up at the building from the safety of the sidewalk. She really should head back to Aunt Sarah’s now.

As she turned to do just that, a quick movement in one of the upstairs windows caught her eye. Was she wrong? Was there someone in that house?

_A human! A human child! So much potential stored away! We would feast for days!_

Once again, her curiosity got overruled her common sense and Billie found herself walking up the cracked cobblestone walkway to the porch. The closer she got to the house, the louder and more excited the voices got. Blood pounded in her ears and her breathing became ragged from nervousness. Yet still her feet carried her closer. She paused at the door, taking in deep lungfuls of moldy smelling air that came off the house in waves.

“I must have a death wish,” she murmured, wiping her sweaty palms on her jacket before reaching out to take the door handle.

Surprise, surprise; the door was locked. Exhaling a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, Billie stepped back from the door. She wanted to run for the hills but some stubborn part of her (okay, so pretty much all of her was this stubborn) refused to give up now. She had a mystery on her hands, like in those novels she loved to read when the voices were quiet. How could she just walk away from that?

Her resolve strengthened, Billie jumped back off the porch to see what lay behind the house. It didn’t look like it had a fence so she could probably get into the backyard easily. What she didn’t anticipate was an overgrown garden that really should just be called a jungle now. Even with her small stature, she couldn’t avoid get poked, scratched, and smacked by various flora as she tunneled her way to the main yard. The grass was long and shaggy and made Billie a little nervous in a superficial way. Who knew what kind of gross creatures were lurking through there?

Quickly, she rushed to the broken glass French doors that led to a sort of breakfast nook. It appeared that some of the plant life had even come inside to take over the house now that people weren’t there to control it. Leaves dirtied the floor and made her slip a little as she wandered deeper into the dwelling. Despite the fact that it had no electricity, enough light filtered in through various broken windows to allow a good amount of visibility.

Remembering she’d seen movement earlier, Billie headed toward the once grand staircase that now looked like it was barely hanging on. She picked her way to the top, being extra careful not to be her normal klutzy self and fall face forward to greet the floor personally.

A soft thump and clatter brought her eyes back up from her feet. Her brow furrowed in confusing. A statue of an angel stood near the wall on the landing, its hands raised to cover its eyes, like it was weeping. A prickle of fear raced down her spine as she neared it. The voice in her head started growing louder until she froze, eyes wide, not leaving the statue.

 _The voice was coming_ from _the statue!_

How was that even possible? Completely freaking out, heart pounding like mad, Billie turned to race down the stairs only to let out a terrified scream. Another statue stood at the top of the stairs, its hands reaching out to her with a horrifyingly twisted expression on its face.

Billie took a step back to run in another direction, any direction. And then there was nothing.


	2. Lost In Time: Little Lost Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: The Professor is another Time Lord that is modeled off of different incarnations of the Doctor. I basically split the different in carnations and made half the Doctor and half the Professor.

The Professor grumbled under his breath as he followed his younger brother through the streets of Ealing. Suburbia was so dull in the evenings. Not a soul in sight. Not even a little alien trying to cause a bit of havoc. Nope just normal quiet suburban London. No wonder Sarah Jane had jumped at the chance to come with them, even while repeatedly saying she would return eventually.

And that was the main cause of the Professor’s grumbling. Why bother going out of your way to make the stupid ape happy when she was just going to leave one day and never think of you again. Of course that wasn’t how the Doctor had seen it. So they had dropped Sarah Jane at her house that morning so she could pack a proper bag and check in with her family. She had a sister or niece or something that quite counted on her being there regularly. Yet another reason to just leave the human and go off on their own again.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t like Miss Sarah Jane Smith. He did, she was quite intelligent for a human, and kind and compassionate to other species they encountered, never hurrying to place the blame on the odd looking ones, though not hiding her suspicions either. She was good at finding the truth mashed between the lies, which made sense, as she was an investigative journalist. But it just made sense for her to stay here if she planned on leaving anyway and had a family that needed her. But of course the Doctor had argued that shouldn’t they show her as much as they could while she still had time to see it. And that way she’d have something to look back on and know she had really, truly experienced life. That had been the last incarnation of the Doctor. He had regenerated about a week ago, scaring the shit out of Sarah Jane, and they still weren’t sure about this incarnation. He seemed more concerned about having fun over anything else though.

Now he wore a suit with a plaid vest, long frock coat and a ridiculously long striped scarf. The wide-brimmed hat he had left on the TARDIS today. The Doctor now sported a dark mop of curly hair and very prominent teeth. What was truly disappointing was the fact that he now towered over the Professor. It was all going to take some getting used to, though he had to say Sarah Jane had taken it all in stride. Once the shock had worn off, that is.

The Professor frowned as they rounded a corner and spotted a police car outside of the house they’d dropped Sarah Jane off earlier that day. The two men lengthened they strides, feeling anxious. What on Earth (excuse the pun) could have happened in a few hours’ time?

As they drew closer, the front door flew open and a young boy, perhaps thirteen or fourteen, stormed out kicking and pushing any thing or person that stood in his path as he sulked over to a tree in the front yard and promptly started kicking and punching it as well. Clearly he had a bit of a temper.

“Greg!” a voice called from inside a moment before Sarah Jane appeared on the threshold. “Gregory! Don’t storm off like that! Please!”

The Professor felt worried sick the moment he heard Sarah Jane’s almost desperate tone. He’d never heard that from her, not in all the danger they’d faced. It just was not like her. Something truly terrible must have happened. The Doctor looked just as shocked as he felt.

Sarah Jane finally caught sight of them and moved slowly to where they hesitated by the garden gate. “Doctor. Professor,” she greeted slowly, sounding awfully tired.

“What’s happened?” the Doctor asked, glancing at the boy who had crumbled to the ground sobbing quietly.

Sarah Jane sighed, running a hand anxiously through her hair, “My niece is missing. She left earlier,” she paused thinking over her words before hanging her head in embarrassment, “My sister and I were arguing and some things were said. She and Greg heard and Billie ran off. Greg didn’t think much of it. Billie’s such a private person, always wants to be left alone. And she normally doesn’t go far. But we can’t find her _anywhere_. And now the police are talking about abduction, and I just…” Her voice trailed off as she squeezed her eyes shut and took a shaky breath. “I won’t be travelling with you guys after all. I mean, I can’t…”

“Sarah,” the Doctor placed an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. “We won’t leave you alone with this. We’ll help look.”

She shook her head, “I couldn’t ask you-”

“Luckily you don’t have to,” the Doctor interrupted, glancing at the Professor who had remained silent the whole time.

The Professor nodded his consent and turned to gaze around the area. Where would a small child run off to? He sighed. He had no experience with children, but from what he gathered from Sarah Jane’s small rant, the girl would look for some place where no one would bother her, where she could simply sit and think. He snorted. Sounded quite a bit like him actually.

He started walking away, still hearing the Doctor whispering comforting words to his new best human friend. After walking along the ordinary sidewalk he noticed a deserted playground. It had been cold for summer today. Parents would keep their kids inside their nice warm houses rather than risk them catching cold. It would have been perfect for a lone child to sit without being disturbed or raising suspicions.

Just as he was approaching the swing set, the Doctor finally decided to join him, “You think she stopped here?”

“Yes,” he didn’t elaborate as he dug his Sonic Screwdriver out of the pocket of his muti-colored coat and started searching for signs of recent activity. Sure enough, there were traces of energy clinging to one of the swings, showing that someone had sat there for some time before rushing off. He bet his next life that it was the girl.

The Sonic beeped at him and he checked what it was doing. Huh. There were some traces of psychic energy as well. The person that sat there had obviously had a very powerful mind, along with some sort of ability that humans of this time should even be remotely able to possess. He paused, trying to think this one through. Either the girl had some out of time abilities, in which case he _really_ should find her and figure out how that could be before it harmed her in any way. Or the girl hadn’t been here and someone out of their time had, in which case he still had to go after them, figure out why they were here, and send them packing.

The Professor glanced at the Doctor, seeing that he was at the moment engrossed in searching the vicinity for any clues. He knew he should inform the younger Time Lord about what he’d found, but the Doctor would want to forget about the psychic traces until they found the girl. But some things were so much more important. And really he had no idea if it _wasn’t_ the girl. It just wasn’t a high possibility. Either way, better safe than sorry.

“Doctor,” he called, already moving toward where the traces were leading away. “This way.”

The path they followed lead them past a couple blocks of more perfect suburban homes before they came across a run down, forgotten home, surrounded by overgrown shrubs and uncut grass.

“Of course,” the Doctor muttered. “She’s Sarah Jane’s niece. Of course she’d pick the creepiest house in the neighborhood to visit.”

The Professor chuckled, running his hand through his chaotic blonde curls. He had a good point there. Only a Smith. Then again, if his suspicions were true then it wasn’t the girl at all and this could be a clever little hide out. Either way they had to go in.

The front door, though it looked like it took a nice beating, wasn’t knocked down enough for a little girl to slip through let alone an adult, so they went round to check the back. Halfway there and the Doctor froze in front of him, causing the Professor to ram right into his back. Grumbling, he moved around the man in front to see what had made him stop and promptly froze as well. So it was the girl. Amazing. Terrifying, but still. Tentatively, he reached out and tugged the small torn piece of pink jacket from the shrub branch.

And things just turned ten times more urgent. They continued on, pushing their way through the mass of plants, all but running through the undergrowth until they found themselves stumbling out into a yard. It was still and quiet in the house. Almost too still. A chill ran down his spine at the thought, spurring him into action. The Professor didn’t pause to look around outside, but headed inside immediately, determined to find the child unharmed, the Doctor on his heels.

They stormed through the house calling out for the girl, but all was silent, eerily silent. This was not right. Not right at all. The Professor could still feel the presence of the girl, the deep royal purple of her mind clung to the very air in this place. But he couldn’t understand why. What made her mind lash out so forcibly that her presence could still be felt here, but not in any other place they followed her to? He turned, following the essence to where it was strongest. Upstairs. He heard the Doctor quietly follow him up until they stopped in their tracks on the landing. It just ended there. But if that was so, where was she? She should be right there.

Shifting slightly to look into an empty room, the Professor felt a slight breeze pass and time shifted around him, adjusting to a missing timeline.

_A missing timeline!_

He spun in time to catch four Weeping Angels reaching out for him and the Doctor who had turned at the exact same moment.

“At least we know what happened to Billie,” the Doctor muttered darkly.

Rage suddenly boiled over in the Professor’s veins. Weeping Angels were the worst kind of monsters, everyone knew that. Sending people back in time to feed off their potential timelines. Tearing families apart with a simple touch. But to take a child. A defenseless little girl, who was scared and didn’t understand what was happening, who was lost out in time somewhere all alone. Rassilon, she could be anywhere. And if she landed in the wrong century with witnesses, she could be burned as a witch, for something she had no control over.

No. No more. He was going to take care of these damned angels, go track down Sarah Jane’s niece, and bring her back to her family. And nothing was going to stop him. He wasn’t called the Destroyer of Worlds for nothing.

* * *

_Meanwhile in 1941…_

She was going to be sick. Her stomach rolled as she dropped to her knees and heaved into the trash pile nearby. A loud siren sounded from all around, blaring loudly longer and longer until the whole air seemed to vibrate with the wailing horn. Crouching low behind some bins, Billie covered her ears as the roar of multiple planes joined the cacophony of noises, trying to shatter her eardrums, followed shortly by a load whistling and earth destroying explosions. She cried out in alarm, curling further into herself. The only good news? At least the voices were quiet for once in her life.

Slowly all the noises died down one by one until there was just a ringing echoing in her ears, masking the sound of footsteps approaching. It wasn’t until a man was crouched in front of her, blocking any way out that she realized she wasn’t alone anymore. Billie eyed him cautiously, unsure what to do. He was wearing old fashioned military clothing under a long greatcoat. He had nicely styled brown hair and shining blue eyes.

“Hello there, sweetheart,” he said kindly in an American accent, smiling charmingly at her. “Is everything alright?”

She didn’t answer, scooting to the right a little to get a better view of the alley behind him. If she could just sneak past…

The man reached out, as if to take her hand, and she panicked. Without thinking, Billie curled her hand into a fist and threw her arm out, just like Greg taught her. Of course, with the position the man was in, and how small Billie was, she wasn’t able to reach his nose. Instead she hit right between his legs. Eyes wide, the man gasped in air as he fell backward, giving Billie ample space to turn away and bolt.

She didn’t stop running, despite the stitch in her sides and her protesting lungs, until she was a good four or five blocks away, in another alley behind some houses. Finding a loose board in the fence, she shimmied through. Whoever these people were they looked rich. The garden was huge, and impeccably well kept. The house itself was beautiful. Large, old fashioned, brick with gorgeous glass French doors that seemed oddly familiar. Her eyes widened as she realized where she was and she started backing away, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

It was the same house! It looked brand new and lived in, but there was no mistaking the fact that this was the same exact house she had just been in when those evil angel statues attacked her.

Whirling away she was about to run back to the hole in the fence when someone clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling her scream as they yanked her into the shrubbery.


	3. Lost In Time: The Blitz

It was only a few minutes after the police left the Lizzie calmly walked up to the guest room and passed out. Greg had stayed up a few hours after that, sitting by the window, waiting for his baby sister to return. Sarah Jane knew he felt guilty for letting Billie go out by herself. It was only after he spilled tea on her carpet, having dozed off in the chair that she was able to convince him to go to bed. He promptly went upstairs to the room Billie had claimed as her own a few years ago, climbed under the pink Disney Princess blanket, and drifted off clutching one of the dolls that littered the room.

Sarah Jane sighed, restlessly tidying up the already perfectly clean living room. Her nerves made it impossible to sit still. She had complete faith that the Doctor and Professor would be able to find her niece, but why was it taking so long? Could Billie really have gotten that far?

She finally plopped down into a chair, exhausted, only to hop back up when the front door swung open and male voices floated into the room. She made a mad dash to the hall where she found the Doctor frowning at the Professor and scolding him about an “overreaction”. The Professor was standing stiffly, leaning towards the door like he wanted to get out of there quickly, a crumbling arm of some sort of statue clutched in his hand. But what made Sarah Jane’s stomach drop was the lack of Billie in their midst.

“You didn’t find her?” she asked, heartbroken and astonished all at once. She had been so sure they would succeed.

The Doctor turned to face her, shifting uncomfortably, “Not exactly.”

She narrowed her eyes, “What do you mean?”

The Professor held up the arm, “It seems she had a little run in with a Weeping Angel. They’re aliens who only exist when you look away. Otherwise they look like normal stone statues.”

“Oh no,” Sarah Jane shook her head in denial, tears prickling at her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” the Doctor quickly assured her, “Billie is perfectly safe. Angels don’t kill. They simply send their victims back in time so they can feed off the potential timelines the person left behind.”

“And you think that’s better!” she screeched indignantly, “She’s nine-years-old, alone, in God knows what year, and you think I should be happy about that!”

“No,” the Professor stated calmly. “We expect you to trust us. I brought back the arm of the Angel that attacked your niece. We’ll be able to follow the signal, find her, and bring her back before daybreak.”

Without thinking, Sarah Jane launched herself at the Professor. They had never really been the best of friends. In reality, the only reason she put up with him at all was for the Doctor’s sake, and that was the only way she could travel and see the stars. So the fact that she willingly hugged him, or more like tackled him, was a shock to everyone present.

Awkwardly, the Professor padded her back and pulled away, clearing his throat, “Yes, well. We should be off then.”

Chuckling, the Doctor swooped in to give her a hug as well, “Don’t worry, Sarah Jane. She’ll be fine. The Professor seems unusually determined to make this right.”

Sarah Jane was about to question him, but he vanished out the door before she could put her thoughts into words. A moment later she could hear the faint sound of the TARDIS dematerializing.

* * *

The Professor quickly attached the Angel’s arm to the console while the Doctor prepared for flight. The TARDIS hummed in the back of their minds, already caught up on everything that had happened. Even she was furious at what had happened to Billie. The Professor stroked the console, trying to sooth the angry emotions emanating through their mental link.

 _We’ll find her, old girl,_ he thought.

“Aha!” the Doctor exclaimed, drawing the Professor’s attention. “Got it! She’s in 1941. Oh, no!”

Oh no was right. The poor girl had been sent back right in the middle of the London Blitz. Rassilon knows what could happen in the short time it took to locate her.

They hurried to set the coordinates and launch the TARDIS straight into the raid of London in World War Two. Surprisingly, the TARDIS shook less than usual during flight. Especially considering they were heading for a warzone. The landing was just as bad as ever, however. Both men fell back to the floor when the TARDIS crashed to the ground.

The Professor jumped up and made a beeline for the door. Outside the world was going to hell. The dark sky was filled with planes zooming by, dropping booms all over London. Red glows and black smoke brought awareness to distant fires. It still amazed him that despite all this destruction caused by the Germans, England still refused to give up and ended up winning. Of course they had help, but that was beside the point. For such a little country, these people had a whole lot of courage and pride. Enough to win wars against multiple countries.

But his own problems to worry over. The TARDIS had landed as close to the time and place where Billie had been sent as she could.

“Right,” he turned to look at the Doctor, “Billie must have dropped somewhere around here. You go check towards that area, I’ll go this way.”

The Doctor nodded, not willing to argue in such an important situation and wandered away down the street. The Professor watched him go before turning down an alley behind some houses, pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver as he went. It only took a second to pick up traces of the odd psychic energy the girl gave off. She had definitely dropped here. What worried him was the fact that the traces were minimal, old. It had been at least forty-eight hours since Billie landed in 1941.

Sighing, the Professor shoved back the anxiety that immediately pricked at his consciousness and searched for a stronger signal. It wasn’t really difficult. If the signal was unique in 1995, it was impossible to find anything close to it in 1941. A small blip popped up a half a dozen blocks away. The Professor picked up his pace, practically jogging down the road toward the girl out of her time.

The signal got stronger as he approached a rather large, well-kept house at the end of the last block. Two small ragged children ran up the steps as he watched, pulling the door closed behind him. That wasn’t right. The air raid was still causing havoc in the skies. Families should be hiding in their bomb shelters. Now that he was thinking of it, shouldn’t those children have been evacuated to the country by now?

Nevermind that. Billie was in that house, and at the moment that’s all he was concerned about.

Lengthening his strides, the Professor silently pushed through the door and inched forward, listening to the sounds of cutlery clinking against plates and the light chatter of children’s voices.

“Billie?” a slightly older female voice asked, concernedly. “What’s wrong?”

There was a beat of silence as every child in the other room waited for the answer. The Professor froze, part of him realizing exactly what was wrong.

“Someone’s here,” a quiet voice answered.

Another beat of silence before everything erupted into chaos.

* * *

After initially scaring the crap out of her, Nancy had turned out to be really nice. She explained to Billie that she helped all the children living rough in the streets, and would be more than happy to help Billie out as well, seeing as the nine-year-old didn’t have any idea where she was let alone what year it was. Luckily, Nancy just took this to mean that Billie had suffered some sort of traumatic event. Billie couldn’t really correct her since she didn’t really know what was going on either.

Nancy acquired more suitable clothes for the era, though Billie refused to get rid of her bright pink jacket her Aunt had bought her, despite the fact that it made her stick out so much. In return Billie helped gather food and necessities with Nancy and the other children. Soon she was a highly skilled pickpocket. Aunt Sarah would not be very happy with her about that, but what else could she do. She had to survive in some way until she could find a way home.

It wasn’t until night that everything came crashing back down on her. She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing relentlessly down her cheeks, or the nightmares that made her wake in a cold sweat, still sobbing into the “borrowed” pillow. All she could see were those evil Angels coming after her, reaching out to take hold and toss her even further back in time. She was sure they were to blame. Some instinct told her that if she hadn’t ran into those horrid statues she could be curling up with a book in front of Aunt Sarah’s fireplace while sipping hot chocolate like she always did.

The fear and anger everyone’s mind kept screaming at her wasn’t helping whatsoever. Not only was she plagued by her own demons, but the rest of the neighborhood’s as well. Nightmares of the war, the bombs, the families that harmed the children when they were evacuated before they ran away, everything rushed into her head the moment she put her guard down long enough to rest, making sure she never had a moment’s peace.

She had been there for about two days when she and Nancy found a home with a full dinner set out on the table while they cowered in the shelter outside. Immediately Billie stepped outside to whistle out the signal while Nancy started carving the ham. Soon the whole table was crowded with kids of all ages digging into a meal fit for the Queen. At least it seemed that way to them, none of whom had had a decent meal in some time.

They were all chatting happily when it happened. Billie stiffened in her chair as she felt the presence enter her awareness. A grown man had just walked into the house. None of the family, she knew. She could still hear their “voices” in the shelter. No, this man was a stranger. His mind was even stranger than that. It was so big! She could feel the whole weight and power of it, gently pressing toward her, as if checking to see if she was there. She’d never felt anything like it. Minds didn’t generally press against hers. Normally it was more like they accidently rushed into hers, the people not noticing or meaning to. But this man was different. Somehow he could control it, could purposefully reach out to her from afar.

“Billie?” Nancy’s voice floated toward her from afar. She blinked and turned toward the other girl. “What’s wrong?”

Was something wrong? Billie quickly worked through it. The man had stopped moving at the sound of Nancy’s voice, but his mind stayed calm, gentle. He meant no threat, but that didn’t mean too much. They were still a bunch of children, living on the streets during the Blitz, breaking into homes and eating other people’s dinners while they hid from bombs. Billie ignored the twinge of guilt, deciding just to tell the truth.

“Someone’s here,” she answered, trying to speak in a way not to scare everyone. It didn’t work. The moment the words left her lips, the whole table erupted in a chaotic rush to gather as much food as possible and find a back way out.

Ignoring the others’ urgency, Billie slowly rose from her seat and swung her coat on before heading towards the front hall.

“Billie!” Nancy hissed behind her. “Come back here!”

Shaking her head, Billie stepped out into the hall to face the stranger. She bit her lib to stop a giggle from escaping. Never had she seen a more ridiculous outfit on a grown man. Then again, maybe he worked as a clown; that could explain all the color at least. His lips twitched as if he could hear her amusement.

“I can,” he told her in a deep, soothing voice.

Her eyes widened. He had heard her thoughts!

“Yes, I did,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “I’d forgotten how intense an untrained telepath can be.”

Tilting her head to the side, Billie questioned, “Telepath?”

“Yes. It means you can read minds.”

She nodded. Nice to know there was a word for it. Not that it helped her all that much.

“Billie,” Nancy scolded again, suddenly appearing behind her and gripping her elbow. “Let’s go.”

“That’s alright,” the man said calmly. “I can take care of Billie from here. Thank you for your help.”

Nancy’s eyes narrowed, “I’m not going to just let you take her.”

The man smiled softly, “Good. I would have been concerned if you had. But you need not worry. Her Aunt sent me to collect her and bring her home.”

Feeling only honesty from his mind, Billie’s heart immediately soared, a smile breaking out into a huge smile.

“How do I know you’re not lying?” Nancy growled.

He sighed, “Her full name is Billie Jean Carter. She was born in South London, and she got lost after running out of her Aunt Sarah Jane’s house by herself.”

“And she’s standing right here!” Billie chuckled, turning to Nancy, wrapping her arms around the older girl in a quick embrace. “It’s okay Nancy. He’s telling the truth.”

She sighed, “Alright. You take care of yourself, Billie. If you ever need anything…”

“You’ve already done enough Nance.” Billie gave her one last smile before spinning back to the man who held out his hand. She took it, allowing his large fingers to wrap protectively around her smaller ones.

“What’s your name?” she asked innocently as they walked out into the street.

“Call my Professor,” he said simply, heading away from a blaze lit up the sky some distance away.

“Professor,” she whispered. She tilted her head back to see him better, “Isn’t that like a teacher?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

“I want to be a teacher when I grow up.” He didn’t answer, but his lips twitched. Billie took that as a sign to keep talking. “Or a librarian. I love libraries.”

They lapsed into silence, walking along the road as the all-clear horn sounded and people emerged from their hideouts to continue their evening.

“Tell me,” the Professor finally spoke, “Why on Earth did you go into that old house in the first place?”

“I heard voices,” she answered honestly, tapping her head so he knew what she was talking about, and shrugged. “I was curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” he chuckled lightly.

“Satisfaction brought it back,” she countered, grinning.

He laughed out loud this time, shaking his head at her. The rest of the walk was spent in companionable silence, their hands clasped between them.


	4. Lost In Time: Home

After an hour of finding absolutely no sign of a girl from the nineties trapped in the forties, the Doctor made his way back to the TARDIS hoping the Professor had had better luck. He was about to slide the key into the lock when he felt his brother’s presence in his mind and whipped around. The Professor was walking toward him down the street, carrying a small figure covered in his own coat.

The Doctor smiled, committing the image to memory. The Professor had never been one for children, calling them a nuisance and a distraction. So it was quite comical to see such a stubborn man carrying a tiny human girl down the street while she dozed on his shoulder.

“Not a word,” he growled quietly, sensing the Doctor’s thoughts.

Chuckling, the Doctor opened the door and stepped aside to let the other man carry their precious cargo inside. The Professor set the girl down in the armchair in their lounge just off the console room, adjusting his coat so it covered all of her small body.

The Doctor cocked his head to the side, “Little small for a nine-year-old, isn’t she?”

The Professor grunted, moving back to the console to start setting coordinates for Sarah Jane’s house, about five minutes after they left. The TARDIS hummed contentedly, dimming the lights. She really seemed to like the new young human her Thieves had brought onboard.

The Doctor studied the sleeping child. Something was off about her, but he couldn’t place his finger on what. He reached out with his mind, gently prodding the adolescent mind. He gasped when her mind pushed back.

“Is she…?”

“Yes,” the Professor answered calmly, not looking up from his work. “She’s a telepath. Quite a strong one at that. But she has very little control over it, so be careful what you think around her.”

He nodded, staring wide-eyed as the girl stirred, doubling his mind’s shields just in case. Blinking and yawning, the girl sat up, pushing back the coat as she took in her surroundings. When she spotted the Doctor, she froze, fear pulsing from her mind.

The Doctor tried to smile reassuringly, “Hello, dear. I’m the Doctor. Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said slowly, looking behind him. Seeing the Professor, she hopped off the chair and hurried forward. The Doctor was shocked to see her take the Professor’s hand. Even more surprised when he didn’t let go, but instead gathered the girl into a light embrace, comforting her.

“Billie, this is my brother,” he told her softly. “Another friend of your Aunt Sarah.”

Billie’s shoulder’s relaxed but she didn’t move from the Professor’s side. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around again.

“It’s called the TARDIS,” the Professor said, shooting a glance at the Doctor, mentally telling him to keep his mouth shut for now. “It’s our ship.”

She looked around, eyeing the lounge, “You live here.” Not a question.

“Yes we do,” the Professor nodded. “We also travel around a lot. Your Aunt Sarah was just about to take a holiday with us.”

“Where were you going to go?” she asked excitedly.

“We were going to go see the stars,” the Doctor couldn’t help but tell her excitedly.

Her eyes widened, “You can do that?”

“Oh yes,” he grinned, kneeling down in front of the girl to talk on her level. “That’s what the TARDIS does. She can travel all through space and time. That’s how we were able to find you.”

“Wow,” Billie said breathlessly. She turned back to the Professor, tugging on his hand enthusiastically, “Can I go too? Please? I promise to be good.”

He sighed, “We’ll see. I believe you’ll have to ask your mother and Aunt first, yeah?”

She nodded, smiling widely as the Professor sent her back to the chair while he prepared for flight.

 _And the night gets weirder and weirder,_ the Doctor thought. He had been sure the Professor would tell Billie no, that she was too young. But he had actually given her a conditional yes. What strange power did this little girl hold over the centuries old Time Lord?

 _Professor?_ He asked mentally.

 _We’ll have to bring her, whether or not her mother wants it,_ he answered. _We can’t leave her to deal with her telepathy on her own. It could drive her mad if she doesn’t learn to put up mental barriers._

The Doctor nodded. It was true he could still feel the power of the small mind from across the room. There was no way she would be able to lead a normal life without some training. And who better to train her than two members of the most powerful telepathic race in existence.

* * *

Miraculously, Billie fallen back to sleep, and stayed that way despite the rocky ride. The Professor had a feeling the TARDIS was helping with that, but couldn’t be sure. He sent her a mental thank you anyway. She hummed in return as the Professor gathered the little girl in his arms. Billie mumbled something unintelligible and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. He grinned slightly. She was rather adorable.

The Doctor led the way out the door. They had landed in Sarah Jane’s back garden. A light was still shining out of the kitchen window, a tale-tell sign that Sarah Jane had waited up. And probably fallen asleep in the living room as she wasn’t rushing out to see her niece.

They entered through the kitchen door and moved down the hall where, just as he thought, Sarah Jane was slumped in an armchair, her head lulling on her shoulder uncomfortably and a cold cup of tea sitting at her elbow.

“Sarah Jane,” the Doctor gently shook her awake.

The moment she recognized who loomed over her, she jumped up searching for Billie. The Professor gently handed her the still-sleeping child who stirred only to make a small noise of protest.

“Oh, thank God,” Sarah Jane whispered, clutching Billie to her as if it were her own child. She looked the Professor in the eye, somehow sensing that it had been him to discover the girl. “Thank you.”

He simply nodded. Billie had woken and was complaining about being fussed over, insisting she was fine and just wanted to go to bed. Sarah Jane chuckled, leading her upstairs and telling the Time Lords to make themselves comfortable.

A few minutes later she returned, still grinning broadly, “She’s sleeping in bed with Greg. I really can’t thank you guys enough. That little girl means the world to me.”

The Professor nodded and motioned for her to sit as the Doctor came in with a fresh pot of tea and cups, “We need to discuss something with you, Sarah Jane.”

She sat taking the offered tea, “Look, I know I said I wanted to continue traveling with you, but I think Billie needs me here. My sister doesn’t always remember to give her the attention she deserves and I’m afraid after the attention of having gotten lost fades, she’ll start ignoring Billie more than ever.”

The Professor waved off that worry, “We’ll come back to that if you like, but first we need to talk to you about something we discovered about Billie.”

“What about her?” she asked defensively. Like a mother bear protecting her cub, the Professor noted. He filed that away for later.

“Did you know she can hear voices?” he asked gently.

Her eyes widened, “She told you?”

He shook his head, “She didn’t have to. Telepaths can always sense when another telepath is nearby.”

“So she’s a telepath. She’s not crazy, like my sister said,” Sarah Jane smiled happily at this thought.

The Professor frowned. He hated that humans, especially of this era, always thought the worst of people who had special gifts.

“Of course not,” the Doctor growled, equally disgusted, and sighed, “However, if she doesn’t learn to control it, it very well could drive her mad.”

Sarah Jane bit her lip nervously, “What can I do to help her?”

“We can teach her how to put up walls in her mind, to keep out other people’s minds,” the Professor explained. “Depending on how quick a study she is, it could take a while. I suggest she travels with us, with you along as chaperone, of course.”

Sarah Jane didn’t hesitate to nod, “Of course. Whatever helps Billie.”

“And her mother?” the Doctor asked. “What will she say?”

She rolled her eyes and snorted, “My dear sister has hardly taken any noticed in that girl since the day she was born. She won’t mind to be rid of her for a few weeks. And she’s out of school for the summer, so that won’t be a problem.”

The Professor gave a short nod, “Good. Then I suggest you go get some rest. We’ll leave as soon as you’re both prepared tomorrow morning.”


	5. Interlude: Sparrow

Holyhotdamn that hurt! Years of training at the Academy, five years as a Time Agent, not to mention all those years travelling with the Doc and Teach, and a little slip of a girl who probably wasn’t older than ten took him down with one punch to the groin! How embarrassing. At least no one saw.

“I am so, so sorry, Sparrow,” a woman’s South London accent came from nearby while a male voice snickered. So much for no one seeing. He felt two slender hands grasp his shoulders and heave him into a sitting position against the wall.

Jack finally looked up, forcing himself not to wince in pain. A very pretty young woman was crouched beside him. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, drawing attention to the big beautiful brown doe eyes filled with concern. She was nibbling on her lip nervously.

Suddenly all the pain was draining away, but if she wanted to play the concerned nurse, who was he to argue. Scrunching up his face in pain, he pushed small, pathetic whimpers from his throat.

The woman snorted, rolling her eyes as she shoved his shoulder and pushed to her feet, “Well now I _know_ you’re okay.”

His jaw dropped, “How?”

“I know you, Jack,” she smirked. “You can’t fake with me.”

His face split into a dirty grin, “Really?”

Her face became comically disgusted, “Jack! Ew!”

Male laughter drew Jack’s attention to the entrance of the alley. A tall man, about forty-years-old, stood with his hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket, a maniac grin looking like it was going to split in two. Jack did a double take and swung around to look at the woman again, quickly hopping to his feet. She was wearing an AC/DC hoodie over blue jeans. Obviously not from 1941 then.

“Who are you?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

“Someone from the future,” she said evasively.

“Not to mention the nine-year-old that brought you down with one punch,” the man chuckled.

“Professor!” the woman scolded before turning back to Jack, “I really am sorry, Jack.”

Jack looked back and forth between the two strangers, before landing on the man, at least one things starting to make sense, “Teach? You changed again.”

The Professor grunted in the affirmative, giving the woman a stern look before walking away.

“Don’t mind him,” the woman said lightly, “He’s a bit…closed off, this time around.”

“You know for multiple incarnations then,” he asked, leaning in a bit flirtatiously.

“Jack,” she said sincerely, “Stop flirting. It’s disturbing. And you know I can’t tell you anything about the future. I only came back here because future you told me to. Not to mention I do kinda feel guilty about…well, I should be going.”

Jack stopped her from leaving with a hand on her arm, but couldn’t think of anything to say. He knew she wouldn’t tell him anything. She couldn’t. It was too risky to mess with the timelines. But he sensed, with the way she talked to him, had called him Sparrow at first, he realized, that made him feel that she was important to him, in the future. And important in a way that didn’t have flirting. He’d never had that before. He really wanted to figure everything out.

She smiled up at him knowingly, like she could read her thoughts. She stepped back, standing up on her toes, and pressing a quick kiss on his cheek, “See you in a few years, Sparrow.”

“Sparrow?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Spoilers!” she called, laughing as she ran off after the Professor.


	6. Future Sense: Josie

Heat engulfed the entire neighborhood as flames licked up the side of buildings, smoke billowing up in tall columns, blocking out the sun. If there was a sun. It was impossible to tell day from night in that moment. Abandoned cars littered the edge of the street, some crashed into light posts and each other. Doors to the surrounding buildings hung lopsided in archways, some missing entirely, and windows were shattered, contents from stores missing. A few stray dogs ran by, barking and growling at nothing. Other than that, there were no signs of life. No human beings, no alien life, nothing. The world was oddly still.

The scene shifted.

Now a bright blue sky was above, a few fluffy white clouds floating by. Kids played in the street, jumping rope, playing hopscotch, casing each other around in mindless games while parents lingered around talking to one another over the shrubs lining their lawns and separating their properties. A few men could be seen washing their cars or barbequing with hideous aprons on.

Suddenly a loud, deep rumble vibrated through the air, followed by a colossal black spaceship blocking out the sun. People screamed, mothers rushing to drag their children into the relative safety of their homes.

Another shift.

A tall, thin, red alien with small horns poking out from long black hair sat in a high back chair, sipping tea in front of a fireplace. In the chair opposite her sat a young human woman with curly blonde hair wearing jeans and a white blouse. She had a holster around her waist though the blaster was lying on the table between them. She too was sipping tea.

Another shift.

A blue police box was standing by itself in the middle of a frozen wood. Snow softly falling around it, slowly burying it.

Another shift.

A rather attractive brunette man in a long greatcoat stood with his hands raised, surrendering, a look of complete terror on his face, while a line of what appeared to be giant pepper pots slowly hovered closer, long eyestalks pointing threateningly at him as well as the other handful of people cowering just out of sight.

Out of nowhere, the tops of the pepper pots started exploding. A grin slowly spread across the man’s face as he dodged away and ran toward a doorway where a brunette woman and man stood, guns raised, blasting the pepper pots away.

Another shift.

Only a face appeared. A thin, freckled face of a man with big brown eyes and ever bigger brown hair with an enormous smile on his face. His eyes were soft and kind, and made the person looking at him feel loved and safe.

Josie bolted upright in bed and blinked around the dimly lit room. There was only the small bed she laid on, a dresser, and a desk and chair in the corner. The walls were white, the floor tiled in white, all the furniture a light brown, and her blanket and sheets gray. A pointy, birdlike woman dressed in a lab coat and holding a clipboard stood at the end of her bed, watching with a bored expression.

The expression didn’t change as Josie fell back onto the bed, turned into her pillow and started to cry. The nightmares were horrible. Always seeing death and destruction and chaos made her wish she could just burn out her eyes if that meant she wouldn’t have to see it anymore. Only every once in a while did she get good dreams, like those ladies having tea, or the face of that man. That man had popped up more than once, and every time she felt so safe and happy. She hoped he would come up more often. She didn’t know who he was, but he was the few rays of light in her life right now.

Josie Stewart was seven-years-old and lived in a laboratory being poked, prodded, tested, and observed, all because of the dreams she’d had since she could remember. The nightmares that weren’t really nightmares. It had scared her entire family to death when they realized the dreams she had were each coming true in time. Everything she saw would inevitably come to pass, unless someone was warned so they could stop it.

But as she got older and the dreams got worse, her mother lost hope. She gave up on her only child, sending her to a government facility to see if they could help. So far the only thing they did was refuse to let her see her family, and tell her she could save the world with her visions. Then they locked her up and had her sketch whatever dream she had during the night every morning. She was mostly left to her own devices for the rest of the day, though she wasn’t allowed outside of her bedroom or adjoining playroom.

She didn’t even know what they did with her visions. Were they really using them to save the people in danger?

“Are you finished?” the woman asked harshly, dragging her out of her thoughts.

Josie didn’t answer. Instead, she swiveled in bed till her feet hit the cold unforgiving floor and, sniffling, went over to her desk to sketch out what she could remember. She never drew out the good stuff for them. That wasn’t the type of stuff they wanted. And she never ever drew the kind man’s face. She didn’t want them to know anything about him. She couldn’t let them go after the one good thing left in her life.

She started with the neighborhood gone up in flames, wanting to purge herself of that horror as quickly as possible. Having had several art classes and lots of practice, she was better than most adults when it came to drawing. She never missed any important details. She couldn’t. They were burned to deeply in her mind’s eye.

Next she did the pepper pots, somehow sensing that they were the next most dangerous thing, despite their comical appearance. Then the spaceship in the sky, making sure to get as much detail that could help identify the owners. She paused, thinking about the blue box she saw. She shook her head, feeling oddly protective of it, like she did the kind man. It wasn’t something she could share with her “guardians”.

Finished, Josie turned to the woman, holding out three drawings.

“This is it?” she sneered.

Josie shrugged and walked around her to the small en suite bathroom.

“Answer me,” the woman hissed. “You had no other dreams last night?”

“No,” Josie said quietly, setting up her toothbrush with a glob of toothpaste.

She sighed, “Well this is disappointing. We expect more from you.” With that she walked out, closing the door sharply behind her.

Josie sighed around her toothbrush. She knew what that meant. Only bread and water to eat today. Like that was going to produce better results. It never worked before. Josie couldn’t control her visions, and half-starving her only made it harder for her to fall asleep in the first place. Not that they ever listened to her when she tried to explain that.

Finished with her morning routine, Josie went back to her room to get dressed in plain gray slacks and a black t-shirt. Pulling her ginger hair up into a ponytail, she made her way to her desk again, this time to doodle mindlessly for herself. Mostly when she did this, she ended up drawing pictures of different people coming to rescue her. Sometimes it was a prince from some of the old Disney movies she used to love. Sometimes it was her Grandfather who had always been a favorite, giving her sweets, listening to her like what she said mattered, telling her stories at night. And other times it was the kind man from her dreams.

Today it was the kind man.


	7. Future Sense: Rescue Team

Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart stood with his hands folded behind his back, staring through the viewing window to where the threat was being detained. If it was a threat. He still wasn’t so sure. Years of working with the Doctor and Professor had taught him one thing at least. Not everything is what it seemed. That one rule kept him believing that the nasty looking alien in front of him might be a friend and that his granddaughter was still alive and safe somewhere out there. The fact that his daughter willingly sent her only child to some random government facility just because of a few nightmares that came true made him sick to his stomach. Needless to say he hadn’t spoken to his daughter since, and that had been three, nearly four years ago. Josie would have been almost eleven now.

Shaking his head, the Brigadier focused on the problem in front of him; the one he was more likely to solve. The alien was about the size of very large gorilla, but dark red with long demonic horns coming out from his head. He had four beady black eyes and small pointed teeth similar to a shark’s. Long talon-like claws protruded from each of the three fingers on his hands and his feet, though large, were shaped like a goat’s. It truly was what he envisioned a demon to look like.

He was just contemplating how to approach said alien when a loud mechanical grinding started echoing throughout the room and a wind blew from nowhere, scattering loose paper all over the floor. An ecstatic grin spread across his face when he turned to see a familiar blue box fading into existence in the middle of the room. Vaguely he heard some guards shouting and guns being loaded in the background. One short command later and he had all weapons on the floor, knowing the Doctor and Professor wouldn’t step out until they knew it was safe. The door swung open right on cue and a man with dark curly hair and rather large teeth poked his head out, a colorful striped scarf dangling from his neck all the way to the ground. He had a wide manic grin plastered on his face.

“Brigadier!” he called joyously as he bounded out to shake the man’s hand vigorously. “So good to see you! How have you been?”

He smirked back at the alien, “Doctor. I’ve been better I’m afraid.”

“That’s a shame.”

The door creaked open again, revealing a young woman in a leather jacket closely followed by a man in a suit with question marks all over the vest. He smiled and nodded at the Brigadier while corralling the teenage girl forward.

“What’s this?” The Doctor drew everyone’s attention to the alien next door.

“Not sure,” the Brigadier shrugged. “Showed up in South London last night. Can’t figure out what it wants exactly.”

“Boy, that is one ugly alien,” the girl pulled a face.

“Ace,” the Professor sighed.

“Sorry, but it is,” Ace shrugged, before giving him an apologetic smile. The professor patted her shoulder.

“Well then,” the Doctor grinned as he straightened his shoulders. “How ‘bout I go ask ugly why he’s here, hmm?”

The Brigadier motioned him toward the door, “After you, Doctor.”

“But sir,” a soldier stopped them, “Protocol dictates…” his voice trailed off as he caught his superior’s glare. The Doctor poorly hid his chuckle behind a cough.

The small group consisting of the Brigadier, the Doctor, the Professor, and their young companion Ace, entered the containment room. Glaring at the human-like creatures, the alien shuffled to the far end of the room as the Doctor approached. The following conversation was completely lost on the Brigadier who, never having traveled on the TARDIS, didn’t have it translating for him. Most of it sounded like grunts and growls to him while the others had expressions of complete understanding. When Ace started laughing, he shot the Professor a questioning look, but he merely shook his head, smiling slightly. However, what really startled him was when the Doctor suddenly shoved his arm into his jacket pocket all the way to his shoulder, then exclaiming triumphantly, he pulled out a large stuffed teddy bear that was missing an eye. The alien immediately perked up like a puppy. The Doctor tossed it the teddy and the alien caught it in its mouth, looking like it was actually smiling. Suddenly it shrunk down in size until it looked more like a small odd monkey than anything else.

The Doctor bent over and picked it up, “Well that’s settled. Now I can take a quick hop across the galaxy and then, tea.” He gave the Brigadier a pointed glance, clearly wanting to hear more about why he hadn’t been very well recently. He gave the elder alien a nod as they walked back to where the TARDIS waited, surrounded by curious soldiers.

* * *

It had taken all of ten seconds, linear time, for the TARDIS to drop off Harris (the giant red alien turned cute red alien monkey) on his home planet with his parents and return to UNIT headquarters. How he had managed to traveled across the universe searching for a lost comfort blanket without his parents noticing was still a mystery.

Now the Doctor sat with Ace on one side and the Brigadier on the other, the Professor wandering around the office, with tea set out on the table in front of him.

 _I’ve been better I’m afraid_. The Brigadier’s words reverberated through his mind. It was always worrisome when the strong, experienced humans he called friends were having troubles enough to actually admit it. But there had been an underlying tone that Alistair had tried to hide. Something was going on in the old soldier’s life to truly beat him down. The Doctor never thought that would have been possible, and yet the proof was sitting in front of him. The aging man had dark circles under once-bright-now-dull eyes. His hair was thinner and grayer, even for someone his age and there were too-deep worry lines on his brow and around his eyes.

“Are we going to have to force it out of you?” The Doctor half joked, hoping to elevate the tension some.

The Brigadier gave a small smile before sighing, “It’s family troubles. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Nonsense,” the Doctor shook his head. “We may not be able to help, but you look as though you could use someone to talk to.”

The human looked at each of the faces surrounding him as the Professor took a seat next to him. His shoulders slumped slightly as he admitted defeat, “my daughter and I haven’t been talking the past few years.”

He had a daughter? It seemed they had been out of touch with their older friend than they thought. A glance at his brother told the Doctor they were having the same thoughts. All that aside, this seemed an easy enough problem.

“We had a bit of a row,” he continued, “when I found out she’d sent my granddaughter away.” He hesitated.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, “She sent her own daughter away? Why?”

Glancing around, the Brigadier continued to hesitate before straightening in determination. His voice took on a hard edge, “Apparently, Josie was having these dreams.”

“Dreams?” the Professor asked skeptically. How did that lead to being sent away?

He nodded, “Dreams that were coming true.”

The Doctor’s eyes widened. A small child with dreams that became reality? It sounded as though she were having visions, not dreams. Of course her twenty-first century mother would ship her off. Those sorts of people wouldn’t be understood for a few hundred years, and even then there would always be certain humans who feared those who became more powerful than them. It was just far too early in history to hear of something like this. This story was troublesome to say the least. If they hadn’t been involved before, this information clinched it.

“Do you know where your daughter sent her?” he asked, leaning forward, eager to gather as much information as possible. They had a little girl to rescue.


	8. Future Sense: The Princess In The Tower

Josie sat back on her bed with a sigh. If her calculations were right (which wasn’t really a guarantee; she was pretty bad at math) then her birthday should be in two days. Two days and she’d be eleven. After four years of being trapped, she’d lost count of the days but she was fairly certain she was right in this. She could almost sense it. Eleven years old. And no one would notice. No one here ever acknowledged her unless she had information for them. It was kind of sad, if she thought about it.

She sighed again, twisting around until she plopped down across her bed, her feet on her pillow. Not much had changed in her room over the years. Actually the only real difference was the drawings she had been allowed to start tacking onto the walls and ceiling about a year ago. All of them were happy drawings, some visions (though she never told) that helped boost her spirits, some of almost-forgotten family members. She couldn’t count the time she’d drawn her dear Grandfather’s face, refusing to let his features fade in her memory like so many others. She couldn’t even bring up a hazy memory of her mother anymore, but she figured that was a defense mechanism or something. After all she had been the one to send her here.

Once again she sighed, rolling onto her stomach so she could read the history text they’d given her. It sucked royally that even though she was trapped she still had to do school work. Not that anyone actually cared if she did it or not. Not getting in trouble took all the fun out of refusing though, so she normally ended up giving in and studying. History had always been hard though. She just couldn’t get into the dull words lining the usual history books. There had to be a better way to learn this stuff. A way that wouldn’t end up with her using the book as a pillow for an impromptu nap.

Her inner monologue (rant) was cut short as a large explosion shook her room. It was far enough away that she could only faintly hear the blast and following shouts. Josie pushed herself off her bed and hurried to the door, bare feet slapping against the hard floor. Pressing an ear to the metal door, she could scarcely make out more shouts before heavy booted footsteps came pounding closer. They stopped outside her door and she heard a man breathing heavily before the crackle of a radio.

“I’m at the Tower,” the man said. “Rapunzel is secure. Over.”

The footsteps retreated as the radio crackled over a person’s reply. She heard the scrape of a chair as the man positioned himself outside her door.

 _Of course_ , she thought dryly. _Let’s not let your freaky psychic get away while the building’s exploding._

So much for a bit of excitement. Josie turned, scanning her room for something better to do than study. She had already drawn for a few hours, read a couple pages of a novel, and studied for a good five minutes. Shrugging, she figured the only thing left to do was take that nap she’d been thinking about before the boom.

Tossing the history book carelessly to the floor, she got comfortable on top of her covers. That way she wouldn’t have to remake the bed later. She closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep.

It wasn’t five minutes later that the room shook with another, louder blast. Making a startled noise, she fell to the ground as the room continued to shake. Her door flew open and a bulky black man in a black uniform with multiple weapons strapped to his body burst in, scowling. Without a word he stalked over and reached down to pull her off the ground. Automatically, Josie cringed away.

Abruptly, the man jerked away shaking. He grunted as if in pain and toppled backward. Josie sat blinking uncertainly at him for a few moments. When he didn’t move, she looked up at the door. A tall man with curly dark hair and large teeth wearing a ridiculously long scarf stood on the threshold, his arm raised pointing something like a pen with a blue light shining at the tip toward the man on the ground and a fierce expression on his face. She gulped. What now? What could they possibly do to her now?

A shot rang out and the man doubled over suddenly, groaning in pain as he held his side. Acting instinctually, she jumped up and hurried to the man’s side. He glanced at her briefly before tugging her behind him while he turned on the spot. Peeking around his arm, Josie could see her handler, the tall birdlike woman, holding a handgun steady, aiming at the man.

“Put. The. Gun. Down,” the man said sternly.

“I know who you are,” the gun never wavered as the bird woman hissed back. “The Doctor.”

“Good.” He straightened and Josie caught a glimpse of blood seeping through the fingers holding his side. Her stomach churned. “Then you know what a mistake you’re making. I repeat. Put down your weapon.”

Before she could even blink, another explosion rocked the building, this one stronger than the last two. Bird woman lost her balance, falling back onto the wall behind her. The man quickly raised his pen thingy and a whirring filled the air a second before the gun now on the floor sparked oddly. Stuffing the pen thingy into a pocket the man – the Doctor, reached down with the hand not holding his side and grasped her hand. Josie looked up with wide eyes.

“Run.”

* * *

_An hour earlier…_

The Doctor stood over the “conference table” looking over the blueprints. Really it was just the Brigadier’s dining room table, but it was all they had. They couldn’t exactly plan storming and possibly demolishing a fellow government building at UNIT, could they? So they’d retired to Alistair’s humble home to map out a plan.

The old soldier was not happy when they told him he was to stay behind, but after they pointed out that he couldn’t very well taken care of his granddaughter if he was caught and thrown in jail, he’d grudgingly complied. Ace was thrilled they were actually going to let her use her Nitro-9 as a distraction. A loud, destructive distraction. The Doctor was just focused on getting in and finding Josie Stewart without any trouble. It was a long shot, he was sure, but he could dream.

The TARDIS had been moved to a spacious corner of the living room to allow them to pile in at a moment’s notice. As Ace preceded the Professor in, the Doctor hung back, pausing next to the Brigadier. He laid his hand gently on the human’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Without looking round, Alistair nodded once in gratitude and the Doctor moved to enter the TARDIS.

One bumpy ride later and they had landed just outside of Torchwood’s London base. They wanted to keep the ship outside in case Ace got a little too carried away with the explosives. Ace went round back, heading for the grate leading to the sewers where she would place the Nitro-9 in carefully chosen areas to minimize damage and injuries. The Professor would go in through the front, attempting to use the psychic paper to get in. If what they’d researched was true, than the slightly telepathically trained Torchwood staff would be able to see that something was not right, if not see the trick for what it really was. Meanwhile the Doctor would sneak in through the back while they were all distracted, locate the girl, and get her out. Once they were clear, Ace would do her thing, creating enough of a diversion for the Professor to slip away. They would all meet back at the TARDIS and take Josie back to her grandfather. And they would all live happily ever after.

If only things would work out that way.

The plan was working marvelously as Ace got set up and the Professor entered the large intimidating glass building. The Doctor had snuck in the back door without a problem. It wasn’t until he was making his way up the stairs to the fifth floor that he ran into trouble.

A guard was making his way down the stairs, whistling tunelessly. Both men froze as they spotted each other. Grinning, the Doctor dodged to the side, slamming into a door. Once on the other side, he slammed it shut again. His Sonic was out a second later, locking the door before he tore down the plain white corridor he found himself in. He really, really hoped he was going the right way.

Voices grew louder as he moved down the hall, forcing him to duck into a small alcove. A small group of guards were marching forward when an earth shattering blast rocked the hall, making them stumble and a few fell to the ground.

_A little early there, Ace._

A radio buzzed with multiple panicked voices wondering what had happened. One authoritative female spoke above the rest.

“QUIET! Johnson, go to the Tower and secure Rapunzel. The last thing we need right now is her escaping.”

“Yes, ma’am,” a large black man hurried away to comply.

“Bell, lead your team to locate that man on the fourth floor.”

“Roger that,” an aging man spoke into the radio. The guards moved away, hurrying in the opposite direction of the other man.

The Doctor’s brain worked quickly through their words. Rapunzel… Tower… Escape… Josie! They must have given her the code name Rapunzel. Made sense. In a way she really was a princess locked away by a wicked witch. This made his search remarkably easy. Slipping out from his hiding spot, he checked both ends of the hall before making after the big black fellow.

“The Tower” was apparently a room tucked away in a far corner of the building. The black man checked the surveillance video feed on a small screen beside the door before calling on the radio, assuring the woman that the girl was still in the room. He pulled a chair from that corner over to the door and plopped down. Fantastic. Now he had a guard to get past.

Before his enormous brain could come up with a plan, the whole building shook once more. The guard cursed and stormed into the room. Now or never. The Doctor hurried forward, freezing in the doorway when he saw the man reaching down to grab a small red haired girl who shrunk towards her bed in fear. Anger coursed through his veins. His body reacted before his mind could settle. The hand still gripping his sonic lifted and he hit the man in the back with a quick electric pulse. Not enough to harm him permanently, but enough to make him drop to the ground unconscious. The girl stared at her guard for a moment, then turned wide blue eyes on the Doctor.

He registered the sound of a gunshot as pain erupted in his side. He vaguely saw Josie shoot up off the ground to hurry to him as if she could help. Fearful blue orbs looked up at him, melting him on the spot. God help the person who tried to harm her now.

Tugging the girl behind him, the Doctor turned to find a tall boney woman aiming a handgun at his chest. He scowled, “Put. The. Gun. Down.”

The woman’s misty gray eyes narrowed, “I know who you are. The Doctor.”

Biting back a cry of pain, he straightened as best he could. He could clearly feel the bullet lodged deep in his body. Too much blood seeped through his clothes and onto his fingers where he attempted to apply pressure to the wound. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts and smirked at the armed woman in front of him. First priority was to get Josie out of here safely.

“Good,” he told her in a hard tone. “Then you know what a mistake you’re making. I repeat. Put down your weapon.”

The strongest explosion yet interrupted them, sending the woman tumbling into the wall. Her weapon dropped to the ground and he quickly used the sonic to disable it. Permanently. Shoving the sonic away, he quickly grabbed Josie’s hand. When she looked up at him, he gave her a one word instruction.

“Run.”


	9. Future Sense: Change

_Two Years Ago…_

Sparkling golden light enveloped the whole of the room. A large column-like structure stood in the middle of the room, obstructing her view of the source of the blinding light, though she knew what – or rather who – it was.

In a far corner a man stood protectively over a teenage girl, motioning Josie over to them as well. She shook her head, inching closer to the brilliant light. She couldn’t help it. She was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It was warm and comforting and frightening all at once. And she couldn’t look away.

The figure in the middle jerked as if in pain, causing Josie’s sensitive little heart to cry out in sympathy. Slowly the light began to dim, tendrils rolling away and fading into a harmless mist. A man stood with his arms spread, head thrown back, for a moment then his whole body seemed to go slack. When he looked around the room, Josie could see softer eyes and blonde hair – a completely different face. A stranger who was oddly familiar. His eyes fell on Josie, shifting in and out of focus, and a smile gradually spread across his face. He opened his mouth to say something, only to jerk forward, holding his stomach and grunting in pain. A small puff of gold dust floated out of his mouth as he exhaled…

Josie sat up in bed, breathing heavily. That was a new one. She didn’t know whether it was good or not, and that worried her. Normally her visions were clear cut. Either something good happened, or something bad. But this one was rather vague. She had a feeling of complete safety in it, but she sensed that golden light was very, very dangerous. So how could she have been safe?

That was another thing. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember having a vision that involved herself. She was normally just an outside observer. Like watching TV. You can see and hear everything, but you aren’t part of the events unfolding in front of you. But this time she had been right in the thick of it, interacting with people who seemed to know her well.

A throat cleared, startling Josie out of her reverie. She turned to see her handler standing expectantly at the foot of her bed as always.

Taking a deep breath, she made a split second decision. “A golden light,” she told the older woman, sticking with half-truths.

“A light?” she raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Josie nodded. “That’s it. It was…everywhere.”

Jotting down a note on her clipboard, the woman turned on her heel and left the room allowing Josie to flop back onto her pillow. She lay staring up at the plain white ceiling for an immeasurable amount of time, different thoughts drifting in and out of her mind, mostly centered on her new, utterly confusing vision. Groaning, she dragged her pillow from under her head and pressed it to her face. She let out a bloodcurdling, frustrated scream, stifled by the pillow.

* * *

_Present Time…_

Everything had gone wrong. The moment the Professor stepped into the building, the plan had fallen apart at the seams. The employees knew he was an alien at first glance, causing an alarm to go off as they surrounded him. Not wanting to get captured and possibly dissected, he had been forced to fight his way through multiple guards. It hadn’t been easy. This incarnation wasn’t as adept to fighting as some others. But finally he’d made it back outside where he reached out with his mind, signaling Ace to light the Nitro-9 early, hoping the Doctor would still be able to get the girl out unharmed.

He watched as explosion after explosion rocked the building, glass windows shattering out in shiny clouds of dust, whole sections collapsing in on themselves. Screams echoed from every floor as people in suits and military uniform raced out the door in chaotic crowds.

Ace joined him in the alley next to the TARDIS, both staring unblinking at the crumbling structure across the street. Dust clouds settled as sirens filled the air. People milled about, looking up at the destruction in fear and awe. Soon camera crews were setting up from every news station in London while the police tried to maintain order and firefighters rushed in to locate anyone trapped inside.

Still no sign of the Doctor.

Thirty minutes of watching the chaotic scene before him and the Professor was getting worried. Visions of his younger and admittedly somewhat foolhardy brother tied down to an examination table floated through his mind until his stomach was tied in anxious knots. If something had happened, he’d never forgive himself.

He was half a step away from sneaking back in when he felt the weak brush against his mind. His eyes darted to the side where it had originated, three buildings away.

“Ace,” he called absently, already moving away. The humans were still too wrapped up in their own problems to notice the two of them walking down the street at a swift pace.

Slumped on the ground in a back alley was the Doctor, one hand pressed to his side, dark red gore seeping through pale fingers. He was panting heavily and a light sheen of sweat coated his forehead. Beside him, looking very pale and frightened, was a small girl of about ten with long ginger hair and watery blue eyes. A quick glance told the Professor that the child was perfectly fine. Small blessing. By the pool of blood under him and the slight gold glow of his skin, the Doctor only had moments before regeneration started.

“Back to the TARDIS. Now.” The Professor bent over, slung the taller man’s arm over his shoulder, and heaved him to his feet. The girl stumbled to her feet. Ace kindly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and quietly comforted her as they followed the aliens back to their ship.

They had just stumbled into the control room when the Doctor’s skin started to glow brighter. The Professor quickly spun away from the man and grabbed Ace’s arm. Thinking she still had hold of Josie, he pulled her a safe distance away and crouched down to shield her from any access regeneration energy. That was when he noticed the absence of one little ginger girl. Whipping his head around he spotted her just as the room filled with bright golden light. The small child was inching closer to the Doctor, despite the burning light surrounding him. When she glanced back at the Professor, he tried in vain to call her over. She shook her head and turned back to the regenerating Time Lord.

 _Not good_ , the Professor thought as he watched in horror. Her blue eyes were wide with wonder as she watched golden tendrils twisting out from where the Doctor’s head and arms used to be.

The light slowly dimmed until the Doctor could be clearly seen, his new body slightly shorter and less lanky. He blinked a few times at the nearby girl. He smiled kindly down at her before jerking in pain. Regeneration energy floated out of his mouth as he exhaled slowly. The Professor frowned. That wasn’t normal. Something must have gone wrong.

He quickly stood to join his brother, wrapping an arm around his waist and tugging him toward the hall. He could hear Josie’s bare feet slapping lightly against the grating as she followed a good foot ahead of Ace’s heavier booted footfalls. Entering med-bay, the Professor ignored the girls, concentrating on heaving his new, heavier brother onto a bed and hooking him up to a scanner to find out what exactly was wrong. The bulky white machine buzzed as it ran a blue light over the Doctor’s still form.

“Is he alright?” a small voice asked, making the Professor turn to see Josie standing nervously nearby with Ace’s arm around her shoulders.

“I’m not sure, sweetie,” Ace answered honestly. “But don’t worry. The Professor will fix it.”

Big blue eyes turned on him, seeking assurance. He gave her a small encouraging nod before turning back to the task at hand. The machine dinged loudly, signaling its completion. The Professor studied the readout with a small frown.

“Neural implosion,” he muttered under his breath before sighing. “Easy enough. Just have to heat up his synapses.”

He glanced at Josie who was making a rather adorable confused face, “Huh?”

“He needs tea,” he explained lightly making Ace laugh.

“Oh,” Josie said before pulling another face. “I don’t like tea. It tastes funny.”

Ace laughed again, “Maybe you just haven’t tried the right kind. C’mon, the TARDIS usually keeps a good variety available.”

The Professor smiled. Ace really had grown up quite a lot since they’d first picked her up. Now she seemed almost motherly to the younger girl, something he was sure the old Ace would scoff at. She asked him if he wanted a cup as well while she was at it. He thanked her as the two humans walked out in the direction of the kitchen, Josie peering over her shoulder at the Doctor as she went.

* * *

Alistair was pacing his living room, feeling like a caged animal as he waited for the Professor and Doctor to show their faces. He had watched the news a few moments ago, watching as an entire government building went up in flames. Only the Time Lords would have done something like that. He could only pray that the explosions went off after they got out. It made him sick to his stomach imagining his poor grandbaby trapped in that catastrophe. His only solace was the news anchor’s assurance that there had been no fatalities reported so far, but the search was still ongoing for survivors amongst the rubble.

Just as he was thoroughly working himself up into a panic attack, the tell-tale wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed off the walls of his living room. He shifted from foot to foot nervously as the great blue box appeared in front of him. Half a second later the door flew open and he caught a flash of bright red before he was tackled onto the sofa.

“Gramps!” and excited voice exclaimed from somewhere below his chin. He glanced down to see his beautiful granddaughter smiling widely up at him. Tears blurred his vision as he gathered her close, refusing to let go even after he registered the Professor standing nearby with Ace and some strange blonde fellow wearing cricket whites and a beige jacket with a stick of celery pinned to the lapel. Concerned, he frowned over the top of Josie’s head.

“Doctor?” he asked, just to be sure.

The blonde man smiled, “The one and only.”

“What on Earth happened?”

Josie pulled away slightly, immediately going into a long winded description of everything that had happened. She didn’t even pause for breath. By the time she was finished, the Brigadier was smiling despite being upset and a more than a little grateful that the Doctor had been forced to regenerate in order to keep Josie safe. He didn’t want his friend to literally die, even if he did come back, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he would have done the same for the little girl in his arms. He was lucky to have such good friends who were willing to give their own lives for his family.

He pulled Josie back in for another hug, thanking the Doctor once again, tears spilling out over the corner of his eyes. They stayed that way for a long moment before Josie started complaining about being hungry. Laughing, Alistair had Ace take her into the kitchen to order a couple pizzas. From the serious look on the Professor’s face, he had a feeling the two aliens wanted a word with him.

The Doctor cut straight to the point as they all settled into chairs, “Were you aware of Josie’s…ability?”

“Ability?” the Brigadier raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the Time Lord paused, gathering his thoughts. “We found – or rather, Josie informed us – that the reason her mother sent her to Torchwood was because of some peculiar dreams she’d been having.”

“Dreams?” What did dreams have to do with any of this?

“Apparently, Josie is able to have visions of future events while she sleeps,” the Doctor spoke calmly, eyeing his friend’s reaction carefully.

Alistair gaped at the aliens a moment before running a hand down his face. Never a moment of normalcy, was there?

“We ran a few tests while waiting for the Doctor to recuperate from regeneration,” the Professor explained. “I want to assure you that your granddaughter is very healthy and absolutely nothing is wrong with her mind.”

A weight he hadn’t realized settled over his heart had lifted at those words and Alistair sighed, “Thank God. So what does it all mean, then? What can I do?”

The Doctor leaned forward, giving him a serious look, “We can teach Josie to control it better, give her some peace of mind, make her feel more like a normal human girl. But she’ll need to come with us. The TARDIS has equipment that will help. It’ll be a few weeks at least, and Ace will be there to keep her company.” No one mentioned the Brigadier coming along. He had always made it clear that, while he thought time travel an amazing idea, it wasn’t the life for him. He preferred to stay on Earth and be of use to his fellow humans. He mulled over the idea of Josie leaving when he had just gotten her back for a few minutes.

Finally coming to a decision, he sighed, nodding, “It’s probably best for her to leave for a while anyway. I don’t see Torchwood taking her disappearance very well, and I assume they’ll be over here any day to see if I had anything to do with it. At least if she’s with you two I know she’s safe.”

The Doctor clapped a hand on his shoulder, “We won’t let anything happen to her, old friend. I promise.”


	10. Hometown Glory: Summons

A giggle floated down the hall into the control room where the Doctor was lounging in an armchair, reading a book. His lips twitched in amusement. Over the course of the three weeks that Billie had been on the TARDIS it had become a common sound. One the Doctor was sure to miss when it was gone. But not as much as his brother. The Professor had formed an odd bond with the tiny nine-year-old. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to find them huddled together in the library as the Professor read from different novels and history texts from all over the universe, or in the work room where he’d let Billie help him with some tinkering. When they were out on an adventure, Billie would turn down her Aunt in favor of holding onto the Professor’s sure grasp and if she happened to wander off, it was always the Professor who would find her first and, if necessary help her out of whatever trouble she’d find herself in. It seemed the Professor had finally found a pupil who willingly sought out his lectures.

But it was more than that. It was only just last night that the Doctor and Professor had been interrupted mid-sentence when Billie woke up screaming over a nightmare. Sarah Jane naturally had gone to see what the matter was, but it wasn’t until the Professor stepped in and offered to read her another bedtime story that she started to settle once more.

Sarah Jane had noticed as well, but from what the Doctor gathered during a few chats, she had no problem with any of it. Apparently, Billie was a product of a one night stand and her mother had made it abundantly clear that she never wanted any child that didn’t come from her late husband, leaving Billie feeling like an outcast in her own family. Only her Aunt Sarah and her older brother Greg had ever taken the time to show her love and kindness. So when Billie decided to latch onto the Professor, Sarah Jane merely saw this as her way of getting attention from the father figure she never had. As long as the Professor didn’t mind, Sarah Jane was staying silent on the matter.

Another giggle interrupted his thoughts, and the Doctor set his book down on the arm of his chair, giving up on reading for the moment. Billie may giggle occasionally, but he felt a stirring of suspicion as he heard tiny footfalls quickly making their way towards the control room. He reached out automatically with his mind, only to be stopped by a mental brick wall, making him smile. True, it was mostly held up by the TARDIS and Professor, but Billie was quickly learning to build her own shields. She was quite intelligent for someone her age and caught on to things faster even than Sarah Jane on occasion.

Billie finally appeared in the archway leading to the back of the ship, a giant smile lighting up her face. Her brown hair was braided into two plaits resting on her shoulders and she wore a pair of baggy overalls torn at one knee. But the most surprising part of her whole ensemble was the oversized multi-colored coat that hung over her shoulders. Her hands were hidden somewhere deep within the sleeves and the coat was dragging behind her like a train.

Completely oblivious to her audience, Billie slowly made her way towards the console, careful not to trip over the hem of the coat. Curious, the Doctor continued to watch silently as Billie ran her hands over the side of the console as if searching for something. The quiet click of a lock sounded and he jumped as a door swung open in front of the small girl. He wasn’t certain, but he thought that hidden door had never been there before. He sent out a mental inquiry to the TARDIS which she replied rather crossly that he should mind his own business. Scowling he watched as Billie crawled into the console and disappeared, the door clicking shut behind her.

Half a second later the Professor came stalking in, glowering at everything in his path. It was a little strange seeing him sans coat. That man almost never took off that coat unless he was working on something for the TARDIS or once when he had first found Billie and loaned her it as a blanket. Billie must have nabbed it before he got out of the shower this morning or he had been too distracted while tinkering to notice her making off with it.

“Have you seen Billie anywhere?” the Professor growled, irritably.

“I believe she ran off to Narnia,” the Doctor grinned. He had seen Billie reading _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_ the other day when the Professor had been busy with the TARDIS.

The Professor sighed, assuming he meant she was reading somewhere, “I think she took off with my coat again.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. This was new. “Again?”

He nodded, absently fiddling with some controls, “Second time this week. Claims she’s going to keep it when she goes back home.”

Ah, now he understood. Billie must be loathing the day when she had to return home just to be ignored by her own mother again. The Doctor had some ideas about that that he wanted to run by the Professor and Sarah Jane, but not within earshot of one hidden little girl, who was probably listening to every word they were saying.

The Professor must have suspected the same. He was frowning as he sat down across from the Doctor, rubbing a hand tiredly over his eyes.

A change of subject was for the best. “So how is Billie coming along with her training?”

The Professor jerked out of his thoughts, smiling slightly when he registered what he’d been asked, “Very well. She learns remarkably fast. Though I’m sure she uses her telepathy to help her understand what I’m telling her. Just picks the theories right out of my head. Still, it should be a few more weeks until she’s ready to be around unshielded humans again.”

Their conversation was interrupted by an unmistakable whirring sound followed by a stifled giggle. Eye’s narrowed the Professor called out, “Billie Jean Smith, you come out here this instant and return my things to me!”

“Did you just call her Billie Jean Smith?” Sarah Jan asked, appearing out of nowhere.

“Yes,” the Professor answered, unabashed. “It fits far better than Carter, don’t you think?”

Sarah Jane’s expression turned thoughtful while the Doctor smirked. It seemed he wasn’t the only one with ideas. With the same ideas, at that. It had occurred to him that if Sarah Jane adopted Billie Jean, the child would be far happier than if she had to return to her mother. The Professor no doubt had the same epiphany and was slowly giving Sarah Jane the same viewpoint. Not to mention Billie Jean Smith really did sound better than Billie Jean Carter.

Before they could continue an aggravatingly high-pitched beeping noise sounded from the console. The Professor jumped up mumbling something about “Billie” and “screwdriver,” and hurried over to the flashing monitor. He swiveled it around so that the Doctor and Sarah Jane could look over his shoulder.

“Hmm,” the Professor hummed thoughtfully, his eyes darting over the screen. “It seems you and I have been summoned, Doctor.”

“Summoned?” Sarah Jane asked. “Summoned to where?”

“Gallifrey,” the Doctor said calmly already plotting in the coordinates.

A gasp behind them had them spinning around to see Billie, still garbed in the oversized coat, staring wide-eyed at the three adults. “You mean we’re going to see your home planet?”

The Professor crossed his arms, mock glaring down at her, “Only if you return my coat.”

She bit her lip, thinking it over thoroughly before shaking her head, “Nah. I don’t need to see another planet.”

The Professor lunged after her as she made a mad dash down the hall, giggling madly.

* * *

The Professor straightened his tie, humming to himself as he picked up his umbrella and headed out of his room, only to be greeted by a rather ominous crash in the hall. Sighing, he turned in the opposite direction than he planned and made for the work room where he and the Doctor kept spare parts for the TARDIS as well as random bits they liked to tinker with when having a dull day. Ever since coming aboard, Josie had made a habit of following the Doctor everywhere, including into the work room, despite the fact that she not only disliked working on technology, but despised getting grease on her clothes. She did however enjoy laughing whenever the Doctor made a mistake and/or caused himself harm.

The Doctor in turn helped her improve her artistic abilities, having been quite the prodigy himself. Not that anyone on Gallifrey had really taken notice when he was constantly getting into trouble. Now however, almost every room was filled with half-finished paintings and sketches the two would start and then get distracted, forgetting to finish it later. The two of them seemed to have the same short attention span, especially after the Doctor’s regeneration.

The fact that watching a man completely change in front of her eyes hadn’t frightened young Josie away was surprising enough. But when she had joyfully announced that the Doctor looked much more attractive now, the Professor was completely flummoxed. Most adults had a hard time coping with their regenerative abilities, let alone children. And yet she spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She had even helped him pick out his new wardrobe. (Though she refused to take the blame for the stick of celery pinned to his lapel.) Then again, given her special sight, there was every chance that she had seen this coming. They would never know. After being used so horribly by Torchwood, Josie was having a hard time opening up about her visions. Ace had tried on more than one occasion, after a particularly bad nightmare, to get Josie to tell her what she’d seen, hoping talking about it would allow the girl some peace. But it seemed the only person to even get her to smile and laugh openly was the Doctor. So the Professor and Ace stayed out of their way and allowed them to bond in whatever way helped Josie heal.

As he approached the workshop another crash vibrated through the door, followed closely by a girlish giggle and a deeper male chuckle. Easing the door open, the Professor peered inside. Josie sat cross-legged in an overstuffed armchair in the corner, an easel standing in front of her. She had black smudges on her cheek and forehead, and her very red hair was tied into a messy bun. Her tongue poked out between her teeth as she concentrated on her drawing. When her eyes flicked up to the Doctor, she huffed out a sigh of annoyance.

“Stay still,” she commanded, “or I won’t get your nose right.”

“I’m trying to work, Josie,” the Doctor didn’t look up, but smiled to show he was only teasing.

“So am I,” she said pointedly. “So stop moving.”

The Professor glanced over the work table as their good-natured bickering continued. Those pieces looked awfully familiar. Rolling his eyes, he stepped fully into the room heading straight to the younger Time Lord, “Please tell me you aren’t doing what I think you’re doing.”

The Doctor looked up, eyes wide with false innocence, “Why Professor, whatever to you mean?”

Josie giggled, giving away the lie.

“We are _not_ having another K-9 on this ship. After the last exploded I thought you had given it up.”

“K-9?” Josie asked curiously, coming over to eye the mechanical odds and ends that littered the work space.

“He was my mechanical dog. Built him myself,” the Doctor sighed. “Unfortunately the last three versions all got blown up.”

Josie raised an eyebrow, “Oh, I so have to hear that story.”

“Another time, my dear,” the Professor said, exasperatedly.

“Anyway, I wasn’t making him for us,” the Doctor informed him, getting back on topic. “I was making him for Josie, for when she goes home. That way she can have a pet with her around the UNIT base.”

“I really don’t think the Brig-” the Professor was cut off by a loud beeping noise. The TARDIS gave him a mental nudge, telling him to head to the control room.

Ace met them on the way, and the four TARDIS inhabitants entered the control room, heading toward the monitor where the Professor sighed, “What is it this time?”

“What’s wrong Professor?” Ace asked, noticing the worry lines appearing on his forehead.

“We’ve been summoned,” the Doctor said, gently brushing some charcoal off of Josie’s face, only to have her bat his hands away.

“Where to?” Ace continued.

“Home.”

Josie gasped, blue eyes as wide as saucers, “To your planet, with the two suns, and the silver trees, and the red grass, and the-” the Doctor clapped his hand over her mouth to stop her babbling.

“Yes,” he grinned. “There.”

She tore herself away hurtling down the corridor, shouting out that she had to get her art kit.


	11. Hometown Glory: Madam President

Billie was grinning from ear to ear, eyes dancing over the scenery around her. The grass was red! Really, really red! And the trees were silver and there were two suns shining down on her over the tops of snowcapped, shining mountains. Never had the Professor taken her somewhere as beautiful as his own home. Even a nine-year-old had to admire how gorgeous the land was.

She bounced along as the Professor led her down a gently sloping hill toward a lake, Aunt Sarah and the Doctor following at a much more reasonable pace. She reached down and snatched up a pretty purple rock without missing a step, the hand held in the Professor’s keeping her from face planting in the dirt. She didn’t particularly want to test gravity here, no matter how pretty the grass looked.

They paused beside a large magnificent lake to wait for the others to catch up. The water was still, not even the breeze could ripple the surface. Billie played with the smooth stone in her hand as she took in the peaceful environment.

“The Lake of Tranquility,” the Professor murmured as the Doctor led Aunt Sarah up to the edge of the water with them.

“It’s beautiful,” Aunt Sarah whispered in awe.

The Doctor pointed off to the distance to a group of buildings under a transparent globe, “And that is the Citadel of the Time Lords.”

The four travelers sat down by the lake, relaxing in the warm afternoon suns. Billie twisted so she was lying on the ground, her head cushioned against the Professor’s thigh. It was her customary position whenever they were relaxing on the TARDIS, so no one reacted as her eyes fluttered closed and she dozed.

Footsteps rustling through the grass alerted them to company and forced Billie to open her eyes, though she refused to move. From her position she could see her Aunt Sarah lounging back on her elbows, squinting behind them toward the disturbance. The Doctor sat cross-legged next to her, frowning in the same direction. The Professor hadn’t moved, gazing lazily out across the lake.

He sighed when the steps stopped behind him, “Yes, Andred?”

“The President requests-”

“Yes, yes” he cut off the male voice. “As we were summoned I assumed as much. We’ll be there soon.”

There was a moment of hesitation before the footsteps retreated once more. The Professor sighed again before gently pushing Billie upright. She made a small noise of protest but quickly got to her feet, dusting herself off with the others. She took the Professor’s hand as he headed off in the direction of the Citadel. She gazed up at him curiously. Waves of tension and hostility were rolling off of him even as he held her hand with his usual gentleness, soothingly rubbing circles on the back with his thumb.

“You don’t like your people much,” she concluded aloud, switching her focus back to the stone she’d forgotten she still held. She absently stuffed it in her hoodie pocket.

“No, I do not,” he answered tensely.

Billie decided not to ask. Instead she gripped his hand tighter, showing him he wasn’t alone, and started asking about the different flora and fauna of the planet and little things about the history that popped into her head until the set of the Professor’s shoulders relaxed again and he smiled down at her in gratitude.

Shiny imposing buildings towered over them as they made their way through the scattered crowd. A few Time Lords nodded at the Professor and Doctor, more gazed curiously at Billie and her Aunt. After the third odd look, Billie decided to break some tension in the air. A woman had greeted the Professor quietly and then proceeded to stare down at the human child. Billie smiled and gave a little wave at which the woman blinked and then chuckled, moving away.

“Professor,” Billie asked quietly as they headed into one of the tall buildings. “Why are they all staring at me?”

He paused, thinking, “I believe part of it is because you’re human. Not many humans come to Gallifrey, let alone human children. Also they can sense your telepathy, despite the shields I’ve erected. They find it curious that one so young of your species already has such a strong ability.”

“Then there’s the fact that you are the only child the Professor has ever shown a fondness for,” the Doctor smirked behind them.

The Professor rolled his eyes, but refused to comment as they approached a room with a tall good-looking man waiting outside.

“Andred,” the Professor greeted again.

The man glanced at Aunt Sarah, then at Billie. He shook his head in exasperation, leading them into the room. They walked into a spacious, finely decorated sitting room where a woman was sitting next to an ornate fireplace, waiting for them. The Professor paused on the threshold, shook his head, and grumbling under his breath, towed little Billie into the room after him.

“Romana,” he called out, making the woman look up from the fire. She smiled, rising to greet them. She froze when her gaze settled on the human child still attached to his hand.

“Professor,” she said slowly, dragging her eyes back up to the man. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“You’re President now?” he asked quirking an eyebrow.

“Yes, I am. For the past decade.”

“Oh,” the Doctor said sheepishly, coming up behind them with Aunt Sarah in tow. “Has it really been that long?”

“Yes, Doctor it really has,” the woman smiled, motioning for them to sit. “I see you have some new companions.”

Billie ignored her Aunt who was trying to get her to sit in the chaise beside her, preferring to climb up onto the Professor’s lap. Romana seemed nice enough, but Billie always felt more comfortable on new planets meeting new aliens when she was as close to the Professor as possible. Romana raised an eyebrow, apparently finding the seating arrangement amusing.

“This is Sarah Jane Smith,” the Doctor introduced. “And her niece Billie Jean. Sarah, Billie, this is our sister, Romana.”

Billie turned to look inquisitively at the Professor who gave her a small smile.

Romana smiled, “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“Romana,” the Professor’s serious tone of voice interrupted the pleasantries. “Why did you call us?”

The Time Lady straightened her shoulders, “There is something I need your help with.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, “And what would that be?”

“Someone is trying to kill me.”

* * *

The TARDIS landed with a thump, jostling the travelers slightly. Josie gripped her art kit from Corvis Prime to her chest and smiled up at the Doctor.

“You really think I’ll be able to draw all day. You were summoned for a reason, after all.”

The blonde man waved the concern away, “That matters little. You can sketch and paint as much as you want today. I’m sure we’ll clear up whatever’s going on quickly.”

Josie nodded, not really believing him but appreciating the thought. Nothing ever went that smoothly where the Doctor and Professor were concerned. It seemed trouble just sort of followed them everywhere they went like a plague.

The Professor and Ace preceded them out the door. With a smile the Doctor reached out, offering his hand. Not wanting to admit her anxiety, Josie gladly took it. It wasn’t that she was afraid exactly. After all that she’d done and seen while traveling these past weeks, she couldn’t really be afraid if the Doctor was beside her. But she would admit to herself at least that she felt nervous butterflies beating in her stomach at the thought of meeting his people. She’d heard him talk about them like they were great powerful nuisances who thought they were better than the rest of the universe. And to a little ten-almost-eleven-year-old human girl, that sounded extremely intimidating.

She took a deep breath as she stepped out, only to have it hitch in her throat. Before them stood what appeared to be at least a dozen soldiers surrounding them, weapons drawn and a woman in long traditional robes frowning at them.

“Romana,” the Professor scolded. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I am so sorry,” the woman said sadly. “But my hands are tied.”

“What are you talking about?” the Doctor frowned as one soldier detached himself from the rest and moved to his side.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, bowing her head.

“Doctor,” the man said taking the Time Lord by the wrists and ripping his hand out of Josie’s grasp. “You are under arrest.”


	12. Hometown Glory: Masterful

“Why would someone be trying to kill you?” the Professor nearly shouted, holding himself back at the last moment in case of eavesdroppers. It would be harder to hear him if he kept his voice level. Billie cringed, making him feel horrible for scaring her, until he noticed she was cringing toward him, not away. Even when he was consumed by fury, the human child still believed he would keep her safe. That alone was enough to make him calm down and think clearly. He wrapped his arms around Billie, rubbing her back comfortingly, ignoring the curious glance from his younger (and only) sister.

“Are you certain?” he asked in a much more sedate tone.

Romana rolled her eyes, “It’s a bit difficult to miss, you know.”

“I meant, what happened?” he sighed, rubbing his temple. This was why he didn’t visit Gallifrey often. Handling one annoying younger sibling was enough, two was a guarantee headache.

She stood to pace in front of the fireplace, “Which time?”

“Romana?” the Doctor stood taking her hand to still her. “Tell us. What is going on?”

She sighed, “I wish I knew. It all started a few months ago. Aspirin laced meals, a plasmavore attack, getting locked in the disintegration chamber, a Raston robot in my chambers. I could continue if you’d like.”

The Professor shook his head, “Where were your guards during all of this?”

“That’s something I’ve been trying to figure out myself, Sig. It seems there’s always some reason or another that prevents them from coming in time. Either there was a mistake and the shifts started later than usual, or they were called away to another emergency, or they simply reacted too slowly to catch it.”

“You think there’s a conspiracy,” the Doctor said slowly, eyeing his elder sister.

“I have to consider everything.”

“Is there anyone, at all, that you can think of who would do this?”

Before she could answer the door flew open, banging lightly on the wall. Billie peeked around the Professor’s arm as he turned to see a tall lean man walking swiftly in. He wore a black suit and crisp white shirt. His black hair was smoothed back neatly. He smirked as he noted the child curled up in the Professor’s lap.

“Theta. Sig. I wasn’t expecting you two to be here.”

“Hello, Brax,” the Doctor sighed.

The Professor nodded in greeting, but refrained from saying anything. Really, he should have expected this. Their sister and President had had multiple attacks. Of course the most political of the family would show up.

“Brax,” Romana nodded before motioning to the two humans in the room. “This is Sarah Jane and Billie Jean Smith. They’re our brothers’ new companions.”

He raised an immaculately trimmed eyebrow, “A child?”

The Professor tightened his hold of Billie protectively, “That’s hardly important at the moment, don’t you think, Braxiatel?”

He shrugged, still smirking as he turned back to Romana, asking quietly how she was.

“You have a lot of siblings,” Billie whispered, making him chuckle.

Brax looked over, raising an eyebrow. _Never thought I’d see the day that you’d be wrapped around the finger of a stupid ape, brother. And a baby ape at that._

 _I’m telepathic, genius. I heard that._ Billie’s voice cut through the link.

The Professor had to hold back his laughter as Brax turned horrorstruck to Billie who sported a big Cheshire cat grin. He’d worry about how Billie had been able to piggyback onto the advanced link later. Powerful she may be, but even she shouldn’t have been able to do that.

“Romana,” Brax returned to the topic at hand, ignoring the snickers of his elder brother. “I believe I’ve discovered who your assailant is.”

The President grabbed her brother’s hands eagerly, “Who?”

“An old friend of Theta’s actually,” Brax smirked as the Doctor swore, knowing exactly who was going to be named. “He goes by the Master now.”

“Koschei?” Romana clarified.

“Should have known really,” the Doctor sighed. “We’ve had a bit of trouble from him in the past.”

Sarah Jane shuddered, “Please don’t remind me.”

“Is it that bad?” Romana asked quietly, looking at the Doctor.

“Let me put it this way,” the Doctor said grimly, “Think of how bad it could be, then add another suitcase full of bad.”

The Professor rolled his eyes at the analogy. Only his brother would think of describing such a dire situation like that.

Romana sighed, slumping back down into her chair, “Do we have any idea where he could be?”

“That, I’m afraid I do not know,” Brax frowned, sitting as well.

They all sat quietly. Three genius Time Lord brains and they couldn’t come up with one solution to their problem. The thing they needed now was some sort of device to locate the Master. Perhaps he could pull something together on the TARDIS. The Professor was about to suggest them all retiring there when he felt a gentle tug on his shirt. He glanced down to see Billie’s face scrunched up in thought.

“Professor,” she said slowly. The others looked up at them curiously. “I think I can find him for you, if you want.”

Brax raised an eyebrow and Romana looked incredibly confused.

“She’s that powerful?” the younger Time Lord questioned.

“What are you talking about?” the Time Lady asked before anyone could answer. “What could a nine-year-old human do? No offense,” she added when she saw the outraged look on not only Billie’s face, but her Aunt’s and Professor’s as well.

“Billie is telepathic,” the Doctor answered calmly. “And yes, Brax. She is that powerful. If the Professor and TARDIS weren’t helping her hold up the shields we taught her to make, she’d be able to hear every mind in the Citadel. Whether she likes it or not, I’m afraid.”

“That’s why she’s traveling with you,” Romana said much more sedately, staring at Billie in awe.

“Yes,” the Professor nodded. “She needed help controlling it.”

The President nodded, getting up from her seat to kneel in front of Billie, holding out her hands till the child gave her her smaller ones. “Billie, are you sure you want to look for him? He’s strong enough to feel it when you do.”

Billie shrugged, “You got a better idea?”

Romana laughed at that, “No. No, I don’t.”

“Don’t have any choice, then. Do we?”

“There’s always a choice,” the Professor told her sternly. He hated to think that the little girl thought it was her job to do something like this. She should be enjoying her childhood at home with her mother and brother, not stopping an assassination attempt on the President of the Time Lords. And yet here they were.

She looked up at him, her jaw set in determination, “No, there’s not.”

Brax snorted, “Dear Rassilon! She’s just like you two! No wonder you brought her along.”

The tension broke as all the adults chuckled. They quickly agreed that after Billie located the Master, she and Sarah Jane would stay here with Romana where they could be watched by Andred, the only guard left whom Romana trusted, while the three brother Time Lords would go stop the renegade and arrest him with Brax’s evidence as proof.

Billie looked absolutely miniscule in the armchair they sat her in, her spine straight, feet dangling in the air, her hands gripping the armrests. The Professor knelt down next her, taking hold of one hand in support as Sarah Jane did the same on the other side. The others stood a little ways away, watching in wonderment as Billie closed her eyes in concentration. The other telepaths gasped lightly when they felt the powerful tiny mind reach out amongst them before branching out farther. Billie’s eyes danced under her eyelids, her lips moving silently. A light sweat broke out on her forehead as it slowly became too much for the young telepath. The Professor had to stop himself from shaking her, demanding she stop before she hurt herself. Sarah Jane shifted next to him, probably wanting to do the same.

Suddenly Billie let out a shaky breath, slumping in her chair, and he felt her mind return. He quickly mentally helped her reestablish her barriers as she opened her eyes and frowned at everyone.

“I found him,” she said solemnly, and it somehow sounded worse in her small child’s voice. “But you’re not going to like it.”

* * *

To say the Doctor was shocked would be putting it lightly. What had he supposedly done to warrant being thrown into the most secured prison on Gallifrey? Only the committers of the most heinous crimes were locked away in the prison that was slightly sideways in time. The worst thing he had ever done was steal the TARDIS, and it wasn’t as though he’d been alone in that. So why hadn’t the Professor been arrested as well? No, there had to be some sort of mistake.

He sighed as he leaned against the cold metal bars. He trusted his brother would find a way to get him out. The only question was how long did he have to wait in this dingy hole in the wall? He mentally apologized to Josie. There wouldn’t be any painting today.

“Well well well. What do we have here?” an annoyingly familiar oily voice called from another cell.

The Doctor swore loudly in as many languages as he could think of at the moment.

“Now that wasn’t very polite,” the voice mocked.

“Go away, Koschei. I’m not in the mood.”

“I would love to,” he said in a falsely bright voice. “But you see, I’m locked in here as well. BECAUSE OF YOU!”

The Doctor sighed, looking up to see the angry flushed face of the Master across from him. Despite being imprisoned for over a century he still had neatly gelled black hair and expertly trimmed goatee. His dark eyes flashed furiously.

“You got yourself here, Koschei,” the Doctor said sadly, hoping to reach the person who was once his best friend. “You didn’t have to go after my sister. You should have known we would come to her aid.”

The Master scoffed, “And what have you done?” he changed the subject. “To wind up here with me?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. His frustration coming out in his voice. “I haven’t _done_ anything.”

“A likely story. You know every convict here says that at one point or another.”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”

Growling, the Doctor pushed away from the cell door and flopped back onto the small cot in the corner. Trying to talk to the Master was like talking to a stubborn child who refused to believe they were wrong. All it did was give him a tension headache.

He heard a sigh from the Master’s direction, “In all honesty, Theta, I believe you.”

“Really?” he asked skeptically.

“Really. Out of all the Time Lords I know, you are the least likely to wind up here for something you’ve _actually_ done.”

“Thanks,” he answered sincerely. Maybe there was a chance his friend was still buried deep in there. Maybe…

“No problem,” he scoffed. “Though no one will take my word for it, I assure you. You’ve seen to that.”

And they were back to square one.


	13. Hometown Glory: Pictures Of You

Romana listened as the small child told them of the machine the Master was building along with a large group of other, traitorous Time Lords. She hadn’t been able to gather what the machine would do, but the Time Lady could guess it was something destructive.

“I’m tired,” a small voice said, making her chuckle. A nine-year-old human had possibly just saved them all, Romana especially, by doing something even fully grown telepaths should have trouble doing, and she was _tired_. That was all. This little girl was absolutely extraordinary.

The Professor smiled softly at her, brushing soft brown hair off her sweaty forehead as she laid out on a chaise, “Go ahead and sleep. We’ll be back soon.”

Billie nodded, already drifting off. Quickly, he shed his ridiculous jacket and laid it over her small body like a blanket. He moved over to Romana as Sarah Jane sat down with her niece.

“Watch her,” he ordered. “If anything happens let me know.”

Romana nodded, “Of course. I owe that little girl a lot. I have a feeling we all do.” She grinned mischievously. “Plus, I’ve never thought a human could be so good for you.”

He raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Last I saw of this incarnation, you were rude and sarcastic. Worse than you’ve ever been before. Now you seem…softer, somehow.” She laughed. “Maybe I should get her a present to say thank you.”

He scowled and tugged irritably on a lock of her blonde hair like he used to do when annoyed as a child. “Shut it, Ro.”

She frowned, “Don’t call me that.”

“Oi!” a small voice called across the room. “Both of you shut it! I’m trying to nap.” With that Billie flopped back down on the pillow Sarah Jane had gotten her and started snoring lightly.

Romana chuckled, “Charming girl you have there.”

Sarah Jane nodded, “She does have a habit of talking in her sleep.”

She laughed again, quietly this time so as not to disturb her young charge.

The Time Lords left then to hunt down the Master. Andred entered the room soon after, wanting to be in the room in case of an emergency. She had already told him all that Billie had done, so now the guard was eyeing the sleeping child warily. Romana chuckled but didn’t say anything. Picking up a book she’d been too distracted to read earlier that day, she sat near the chaise holding her human guests and opened it to her bookmark.

Twelve minutes and thirty seconds later, Billie woke up yawning. Romana set aside the book, deciding she really should get to know the girl better.

“Feel better?” she asked quietly. Sarah Jane had nodded off sitting up a few minutes ago.

Billie nodded, stifling a yawn as she sat up.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much here for entertainment.”

She shrugged, looking around, “That’s okay. Do you have any books?”

Romana nodded getting up to retrieve the handful of books she had in the room, “Not many that would suit a child, but you can look.”

Sitting cross-legged, Billie took the books from her hand and looked through them. Romana watched as her nose wrinkled at two before she settled on one with a bright red cover about the history of Gallifrey. They sat quietly as they both read, the only noise the soft crackle of the fire and Andred shifting position throughout the room.

Romana sighed, setting her book aside once more when it became clear she couldn’t concentrate. The longer they sat here, the more her mind raced with possible trouble that the others could be getting into. With two out of three of her brothers, it was practically inevitable.

“You’re worried,” the comment from Billie startled her. She looked up to see that the girl’s eyes hadn’t moved from the page. When there was no answer she looked up and frowned, “Sorry. It was leaking through. The Professor said when I’m away from him and the TARDIS that might happen occasionally since I can’t hold up the shields very well on my own.”

“That’s alright, sweetie. I understand.”

They lapsed back into comfortable silence for a few minutes before Billie set her book on the end table as well.

“Do you want to talk? Aunt Sarah always says talking can help distract you from fear and worry.”

Romana smiled, “What would you like to talk about?”

She shrugged, chewing her lip as she thought. “The Professor and Doctor are your brothers, right?”

She nodded, “Yes, but technically the Doctor and Brax are my half-brothers. My mother died when I was very young and my father remarried their mother.”

Billie nodded in understanding, “I have a half-brother too. His name’s Greg.”

Romana caved and asked a question that had been nagging her in the back of her mind since they had met, “What does your mother think about you traveling with the Professor and Doctor?”

“Aunt Sarah asked her if I could go on holiday with her and mum said she didn’t care as long as I was back in time for school so she wouldn’t get in trouble.” Billie’s voice turned hard as she spoke, and she stared down dejectedly at her hands folded in her lap.

Romana raised an eyebrow but didn’t question further, deciding to go for a much safer topic, “I don’t really know much about Earth, besides what my brothers have told me. What do you and your brother do for fun?”

She smiled gratefully, “Well, Greg likes sports. Football mostly.” Her nose wrinkled.

“You don’t like sports,” Romana guessed with an amused look.

“No. Mostly I just sit by myself and read. When I can anyway. It’s hard with all the voices.” She tapped her head to make a point.

“Well I’m sure the Professor is helping you with that.”

“Yeah, he said I should be able to control it all by myself within a few weeks. He said I’m must be very smart to be able to pick it up as quickly as I am.”

She grinned, “He told you that?”

Billie blushed lightly, “Not exactly.”

She raised an eyebrow, thoroughly entertained now. Talking really had been a good idea.

“I sort of…overheard the Professor talking to the Doctor earlier. Accidentally.”

Her lips twitched, “Of course.” She decided to switch back to the original subject. “So you don’t like _any_ sport?”

She shrugged, “Most you have to play with others, and not many want to play with me. Plus I get distracted by their thoughts real easy, so I usually mess up. And Greg says I’m too klutzy to play sports seriously.”

Poor child. She must have been cast as an outcast from the very beginning. That sounded so much like her brothers; no wonder they got on so well. She racked her brain for a solution, wanting to help her after everything the human had done for her. She scored through all that she could recall about Earth.

“What about horseback riding?” she asked curiously. “There wouldn’t be any teammates to rely on, and from what I understand, the horse does most of the work. You just have to stay up.”

Billie giggled, “I don’t know…”

“How do you know you won’t like it if you’ve never tried it?”

She sat back, chewing her lip thoughtfully again. Before they could continue their conversation, Braxiatel entered looking harassed, but pleased. He announced that the Master had been taken into custody and the trail would be set the moment Romana could gather the Council together.

“Thank you, Brax,” Romana said earnestly. Could you please go see how many Council members you can gather. I’ll join you shortly.”

Brax bowed his head, “Of course, Madam President.”

When he left, Andred said he’d wait outside for her and left as well. Romana turned to see Billie carefully removing a wallet from her still-sleeping aunt’s pocket. Sarah Jane didn’t even twitch.

“Billie!” she scolded. It didn’t work very well as she attempted to stifle her chuckle at the same time.

“Romana!” the little girl teased. She had the wallet open and was tugging something out. She held a small folded picture out, “I wanted you to have this so you could remember me.”

Romana smiled, taking the picture. “I doubt I could forget, Billie. But thank you.” She looked down to see the picture was of the Professor sleeping on a sofa in the TARDIS library, Billie lying next to him, her head in his lap.

Billie had already woken Sarah Jane and was heading to the door before she could say anything, the Professor’s muti-colored coat comically dwarfing her small frame. She said a quick goodbye to the adult human as they left for the TARDIS where the Professor and Doctor were waiting for them, never ones to stay for clean-up.

* * *

“Are you telling me,” the Professor growled, “that you think _the Doctor_ murdered someone?”

“I don’t think that at all,” Romana snapped back. “The Council, however, refuses to see it my way.”

“Tali was Romana’s only opposition for President. It’s the Council’s belief that the Doctor killed her in order to ensure the continued non-interference from Gallifrey in your travels,” Brax said calmly. You wouldn’t think his younger brother was locked in a jail cell with the way he was acting.

“That is ridiculous,” the Professor ran a hand through his short black hair. “The Doctor would never kill anyone for any reason. I would believe it of Braxiatel before Theta.”

“Hey!” Brax protested. “The Doctor has always been the rash one in the family. Who knows what he’s capable of?”

“You believe he did this?” the Professor shouted.

“I never said that…”

Josie sighed, tuning them out as she tried to concentrate on the doodle she had been making on her sketch pad, more to keep her hands busy than anything. Ace was currently wearing a whole in the floor from pacing back and forth behind the chaise she had commandeered the moment Romana had led them into this sitting room after the Doctor was wrongly arrested. She was inclined to agree with the Professor, of course. The Doctor would never kill anyone if he could help it. The Doctor was the man who encouraged her to help on adventures whenever she could. The one that stayed up with her at night, comforting her after horrid visions woke her screaming in the night. The one that rescued her from Torchwood, and continued to rescue her whenever she was in danger during adventures. The one that constantly teased her about being “jeopardy friendly.” That wasn’t the sort of things killers did. Was it?

She growled as she ripped out the page she’d been drawing on and tossed it in the fire crackling in the fireplace, realizing she was drawing the kind man she still dreamt about sometimes. Whoever he was, he wouldn’t get them out of this mess. He never helped before. Really, it was kind of annoying that she still dreamt of him. She was steadily getting better at controlling her visions, but some things still came whether she wanted them or not.

 _Why couldn’t I have seen this coming?_ She thought angrily. _If only I could help in some way._

The Doctor had been just teaching her how to control when she had a vision a few afternoons ago. What she saw was still a game of chance, but the when was almost completely under control now. She wondered idly if she could force herself to have a vision now, something that would help prove the Doctor’s innocence.

She glanced up at the argument still brewing in front of her. Brax was playing hard ball, bringing up the Oncoming Storm nickname. For someone who didn’t believe the Doctor was guilty, Brax sure liked pointing out why he could be viewed otherwise. Must be bad blood between the two. Romana looked tired and more than a little worried. The Professor was more pissed than Josie had ever seen him. She understood why he was called the Destroyer of Worlds now. He really looked like he was goin to tear this place apart. Why hadn’t they thought the Professor was guilty? He seemed like a better candidate than his brother.

 _Bad Josie_ , she scolded herself. _The Professor would never do this either._

None of the Time Lords (and Lady?) looked like they had an answer to what was going on. Or any clue how to solve it. Taking a deep breath, Josie came to a decision.

Closing her eyes, she focused on relaxing, just like the Doctor had told her to. The visions wouldn’t come unless she was utterly relaxed. That was why she was always bombarded when she slept. Her sketch pad lay abandoned in her lap, her hand limp around the pencil in her hand. The voices and noises around her faded away until all she heard was a whooshing in her ears she knew was the sound of her blood pumping in her veins. She concentrated on what she wanted to see, hoping that would help control it somewhat, before tapping into that part of her brain that she found during her training where all her visions originated.

Pictures flew by her eyes too fast to make out anything but blurs of bright colors. She feebly tried to grasp onto one. Anything to stop the rush. It was starting to make her dizzy. Finally the whirl of colors stopped and Josie could make out a few blurry details. She was in a bright room of some sort. She could tell there was some sort of furniture scattered around, but the picture was too distorted to make out. A woman stood in the middle of the room looking up at a picture hanging on the wall. With a jolt, Josie recognized Braxiatel. Strange, but not important at the moment. The woman was tall with dark hair and pale skin, her heart shaped face looked sad, her violet eyes watery.

A door suddenly banged open, making the woman jump. A stout man with greasy black hair stormed in, cursing up a storm.

“Erus, what is the matter?” the woman asked in a shaky voice.

“You’re planning on running away with him aren’t you? To his pretty little asteroid with fantastic collection of paintings and things.”

The woman blanched, “I – I don’t…”

“DON’T LIE TO ME, TALI!” the man screamed, shoving her so she tumbled onto the chair behind her.

She seemed to gather some courage from somewhere, standing up and fisting her hands in the skirt of her official looking robes. “Yes! Alright? I’m leaving! I never wanted to be President! This was all your plan!”

The man growled angrily, launching himself at the woman who screamed. Josie quickly jerked out of the vision, bouncing out of her seat with a cry of “No!”

“Josie?” Ace asked worriedly, coming around the chaise to grip her shoulders. The others had fallen silent as well.

Breathing heavily, Josie turned to the Professor, “The Doctor is innocent!”

Brax snorted, “Yes, thank you for your opinion.”

“It’s not my opinion. I _saw_ it. And you have something to admit to as well, but we’ll get back to that later.”

Brax blanched.

“Who?” the Professor asked urgently, picking up her sketch pad and pencil where it had fallen on the ground. “Show us who did it.”

Immediately, Josie began drawing out a rough drawing of the real assailant. Her hand was shaking slightly from the vision, but the drawing would be good enough.

“Sig,” Romana said calmly. “What is going on? How does she know?”

“Josie is a psychic, Ro. She can see visions of the future, as well as occasionally the past. Though apparently the future is easier for her.”

“Amazing,” she paused. “How is it every time you bring a child here, they have some wondrous ability that saves the day?”

Josie ripped out the drawing handing it over to the President, “Here’s your killer, ma’am. Now can we get the Doctor out?”

Romana’s smile faded as she looked at the picture, “Erus? Tali’s brother?”

“She said she didn’t want to be President. That is was his idea. She said she was going to run off with Braxiatel.”

A choking sound came from said Time Lord, “You…you heard that?”

“Yep,” she nodded, popping her ‘p’.

Romana sighed, moving past her brother to call a guard, Andred. She explained the drawing and asked for the Doctor to be released. The Professor went to see that it was done quickly and Brax left, most likely to hide in embarrassment.

When they left, Romana walked right up to Josie and wrapped her in a warm hug, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Josie sighed, stepping back out of the hug in order to collapse on the chaise.

“Tired?” Romana asked gently.

“Sort of.”

She picked up the discarded sketch pad, “May I?” At Josie’s nod she flipped through the sketches, stopping at one of the more recent ones, laughing. Josie looked over to see a sketch of the Doctor, asleep on a couch with a book lying open on his chest. His head was lulling to the side, copious amounts of drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth.

“Do you mind if I keep this?” Romana asked, chuckling still.

Josie shrugged, “Sure. Good blackmail material.”

Romana laughed again, “Exactly.”


	14. Interlude: Presents

“Josie!”

The call didn’t even make her turn away from the mirror. The scarf was ridiculous, she knew. But it was her favorite article of clothing from the entire wardrobe. There was just something about it that made her smile. She knew it had belonged to the Doctor before his regeneration – she’d seen it after all – but he never wore it anymore.

“Josephine Stewart!”

Great. He had pulled out her full name. Next he’d use her middle name.

“Here,” she called exasperated.

She watched the Doctor appear from around the corner with a frown plastered on his face.

“What are you doing in here, Josie? We’re leaving in a five minutes. Have you packed?”

She nodded grumpily, “I don’t want to go.”

He chuckled, shaking his head at her whiny tone, “Don’t you miss your grandfather?”

“Yes,” she answered quickly, then hesitating. “Can’t he just come with us?”

He laughed again, “I’m afraid the Brigadier has always been clear about that. He refuses to travel full time with us.”

“But,” she protested haltingly, not really sure what she wanted to say. “I just…”

He squeezed her shoulder, “I know, Josie. But you need to go home now. We’ve all agreed. Even you.”

She nodded sadly, slowly unwinding the scarf from her neck. The Doctor caught her wrists to stop her.

“Why don’t you keep this?” he asked twisting it back into place. “I won’t be wearing it ever again, that’s for sure.”

“Really?” He nodded. Josie flung herself up into his arms, making him chuckle. “Thank you!”

“Of course, Josie,” he said giving her one last squeeze before setting her back on the ground, “Anything for you. Now are you ready to go?”

She nodded and, hand-in-hand, the two walked out of the wardrobe towards the console room. Josie was disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to travel anymore, now that she had close to complete control over her ability. But at least she could keep one small part of her travels with her.

* * *

Billie bounced happily behind her Aunt Sarah, holding onto Greg’s hand as they walked to the car from the courthouse. He chuckled at the younger girl’s antics, but she just stuck her tongue out at him. Nothing could get her down today.

Today Sarah Jane Smith had officially adopted ten-year-old Billie Jean Smith (nee Carter). Billie couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present. Greg, who was fifteen, was asked by the court what he wanted to do – stay with their mum, or be adopted as well. He chose to stay as he didn’t have long before he went off and joined the military like he always wanted. Sarah Jane understood and simply asked that he visited as often as possible, for Billie’s sake.

Now that they had (finally) finished in court, Sarah Jane was taking her niece and nephew out to dinner at Billie’s favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate. Billie hoped they could go get ice cream for dessert too.

Greg sat in the front passenger seat, so Billie clambered into the back, freezing momentarily in shock. A large rectangular box wrapped in TARDIS blue paper sat in the back seat. Had Aunt Sarah gotten her something as a surprise? Only she would know to wrap it in TARDIS blue.

Billie quickly shut her door and buckled her seatbelt before pulling the present toward her, “Aunt Sarah can I open it now, please?”

Greg twisted in his seat to see and his eyes widened at the sight, “Whoa where did that come from?”

Aunt Sarah looked back as well, her brow furrowing, “I…don’t know.”

Billie tilted her head to the side, “But it’s TARDIS blue. Who else would give this to me?” Her eyes widened comically as she realized exactly who would give it to her.

Greg snorted, “Dear lord, you’re still on about those made-up stories.”

She ignored her brother, tearing at the paper, eager to find out what they had left her. Once all the paper was pooled on the floor of the car, she flipped the lid of the box open, gasping at the Technicolor that met her eyes. Carefully she lifted the coat out, holding it up to show Aunt Sarah.

The older woman smiled, “You always did say you wanted that coat. Did he leave a note?”

Greg gaped like a fish as Billie dug through the box, “But…but they were just stories.”

“Even stories are true sometimes, Greg,” Billie said, followed by a triumphant noise as she found a birthday card at the bottom of the box. The front simply had a picture of the TARDIS in a snowy field. The inside had a small note written in neat even calligraphy.

_Happy Birthday, Billie, and congratulations on the adoption! This coat, I believe, belongs more to you than me now. You certainly seemed to have it more than I did during your stay on the TARDIS. Good luck on all of your endeavors in life! The Professor._

After reading it out loud to the car, Billie looked up smiling widely. Greg still looked shell-shocked, but Aunt Sarah was chuckling lightly.

“You really did steal that coat quite often, you know.”

With that, she turned back around, closed Greg’s mouth for him, and started the car. Billie, still grinning, pushed her arms into the coat and tucked it around her body tightly. It was still ridiculously big on her, but that was okay. She held the fabric up to her nose and inhaled deeply. It still smelled sharp, but earthy, with a hint of time. It made her relax instantly like nothing else could. She settled back into her seat, deciding this really was the best birthday ever.


	15. Interlude: Chance Meeting

Rory moved ahead of them, searching for his younger sister who would be in her first jumping competition shortly. Josie rolled her eyes at his anxious overbearing big brother routine, immensely glad that she was an only child. She adjusted the stripped scarf circled multiple times around her neck, lifting it slightly so it didn’t drag through the dirt and God knows what else. Still, not even this grimy place could damper her spirits. Ever since she won that gold medal in her gymnastics competition last week, she’d been riding a sort of euphoric high. The crash that would inevitably come would be bad, she was sure, but for now she was enjoying life as it was.

The smell of horses and hay grew stronger as they neared the stables where competitors were preparing the animals and family members lingered to wish them good luck. Rory was standing next to a twelve-year-old girl with sandy brown hair and a nervous habit of chewing on her nails. Next to her small gray pony was a beautiful silvery mare with pure white mane and tail already saddled for the competition. A young, relatively attractive black man stood next to it with a loud redhead. Neither was dressed in riding clothes so they must have been waiting for a friend.

“Oh, that horse is gorgeous,” Amy said appreciatively as they drew close.

The redhead turned and smiled, patting the horse’s neck, “Yeah, she is. Thanks.”

“She’s yours?” Josie asked, wondering why the woman wasn’t dressed if she was competing.

She snorted, “Hardly. No you’d have to pay me big money to sit on a horse. Nah, she’s my friend’s.” She nodded in the direction of the stables to indicate where said friend was.

“What’s her name?” Amy asked, reaching out tentatively to stroke the mare’s head.

“Romana.”

Josie’s heart skipped a beat as her eyes bugged out. “ _Romana_?”

The woman nodded, “I know, weird name right? I told her, but my friend was all, ‘I have to name her that. If it weren’t for Romana I would have never considered horseback riding.’ Apparently Romana was an old friend of the family’s or something.”

Before Josie could even think of something to say, the black man interrupted, “Oi! Leave the name alone!”

The woman held up a hand to stop him, “Don’t even start with me, Mickey Mouse!”

Sensing a lengthy argument coming on, Amy and Josie retreated to where Rory was finishing wishing his sister good luck before the three of them made their way to the spectator’s seats.

Josie chewed on her lip as she thought. Romana wasn’t exactly a common name. It could only mean that the rider was someone who had been to Gallifrey, which would only be possible if they’d known the Doctor and Professor. She smiled a little. Was it possible that she could meet someone (not related to her) that had traveled through time and space in that amazing blue box? And someone relatively close to her age, if her friends were any indication. It would be nice to talk with someone who wouldn’t think you were insane or making up stories. Excitement bubbled up in her chest as she scanned the rows of competitors for the familiar horse.

It wasn’t until the last few people, the oldest, were preparing to go out on the obstacle course that Josie spotted the beautifully unique shade of silver gray. The girl astride it couldn’t have been more than one or two years older than Josie. She was small in stature but full figured. She wore fitted white pants, crisp white shirt under a black riding jacket, and black boots. Dark colored hair was tucked neatly under her helmet. She was too far away to make out any other clear details.

The girl did better than most, clearing all the obstacles with few, if any mistakes. Josie was hardly an expert, but if she didn’t win there was something seriously wrong with the judges.

She ended up winning second prize. She had her long brown hair down when she went up to accept her trophy with a big excited smile. Loud cheers came from a section of the stands where her friends sat.

Josie shifted, really hoping to get through the crowd quickly when this was over, so she could speak to that girl. She didn’t know why, but she felt as though it was incredibly important that they meet. It was like a nagging at the back of her mind, almost like her visions, but not quite. It was bugging the hell out of her.

When the awards were all handed out and the crowds were slowly filing towards the car park, Josie jumped up and weaved her way past people, ignoring Amy yelling after her. She made it to the end of the stables facing the parking lot when she noticed a flash of red out of the corner of her eye and a loud voice yelling “Mickey Mouse!” She turned to see the redhead and black man getting into a beat up VW. Along with their friend who’d competed.

Frowning, Josie began to turn away, feeling like she’d just missed a crucial moment in time. God, now she was sounding like the Doctor.

And there was that crash.


	16. Party Crashers: All Hallows Eve

Amy chattered on happily about the wedding preparations and how Rory did something sweet, or something like that. In all honesty, Josie just wasn’t sure anymore. She’d stopped listening about an hour ago during their drive from Leadworth. She loved her cousin, she really did, but there was only so much she could take before she wacked Amy upside the head and dragged her up to the hotel room unconscious just for a moment of peace.

Luckily they had just arrived at the check-in desk, forcing Amy to shut her pie hole for the first time all day. Josie sighed gratefully as the person behind the desk asked for her name. She frowned when she realized she had ordered a room with two beds instead of two rooms. Then again, she hadn’t been planning on Amy being this annoying when she called in the reservation for Amy’s fun bachelorette party weekend. Now she kind of wished she’d coughed up the cash and paid for at least one other friend to tag along so there’d be a buffer.

She shook herself out of the negative thoughts, scolding herself for being so grumpy. This was Amy’s weekend. She needed to be happy and supportive and all that other crap.

But so help her if Amy started blabbing about Rory one more time, she’d –

“Will you two be needing anything else this evening?” the registry guy asked, cutting off her mental rant. Hmm, he was kind of cute.

She smiled charmingly, “Yes, we were hoping to go to a couple clubs. Do you recommend any?”

He smirked back, looking her up and down before giving the address of a club that encouraged costumes. She thanked him flirtatiously, leaning forward a little more than necessary in her low cut shirt and pirouetting so her skirt flipped perfectly around her body. Amy shook her head as they walked away.

“What?” Josie asked innocently.

“Nothing,” Amy rolled her eyes. “Find a good place to go?”

“Yep.”

“Get the cutie’s number?”

“Yep.”

They giggled as they entered the elevator.

* * *

“C’mon,” Donna whined through the phone. “It’ll be fun!”

“You always say that, and all that happens is I have to tow your drunk arse home at the end of the night. Not exactly my idea of a fun time, Donna.”

“We’ll take Mickey!”

“So I’ll have two drunks to drag home! Fantastic!” She really couldn’t stop the sarcasm at this point.

There was a pause on the phone as Donna thought through her options. She had been trying to convince Billie to go out to a club this Halloween for weeks now, but no such luck. Billie was not a party girl in any way, shape, or form, and she wasn’t about to change that, no matter how much her best mate begged. As it was, she planned to spend her Halloween sitting on the couch in her jim jams, handing out candy, and waiting for her teenaged cousin to come home from his school dance. Luke had been really nervous – it was his first dance with a date, poor sod – and could probably use someone being there afterward to talk to.

“Alright, how’s this,” Donna said, snapping Billie back to the present. “You can wear whatever you like, even that horrid coat.”

Billie frowned. Donna always called the Professor’s coat horrid. Okay, so it was pretty much a disaster in the color department, but otherwise it was a great coat. Even still had the bigger-on-the-inside pockets. And she did have a costume deep in her closet that would do nicely with it. And really, any chance to wear it without Donna complaining about it the whole time would be a blessing.

“I won’t say a thing about it,” Donna promised, sweetening the deal.

“I can’t leave Luke alone,” Billie fought feebly. Aunt Sarah had gone for the weekend for some journalism thing, but would be back in the morning.

Donna snorted, “That kid could stay home alone by the time he was six.” It was true. Luke was weirdly responsible. The day that kid did something wrong was the day the Professor befriended a Dalek.

Billie sighed, admitting defeat, “Fine. Be over in ten minutes, or I’m staying home.”

Donna hung up on her.

* * *

Josie stood in front of the floor length mirror fixing her make-up. She was dressed as Sally from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. It was perfect because she didn’t even need to wear an itchy wig. She just straightened her hair. Sure it wasn’t the perfect bright red that Sally had, but what did it matter? She would be more comfortable like this.

Amy came out of the bathroom, adjusting her sweater. She was going as Ginny Weasley. She glanced up and smiled, “Nice work.”

Josie stood back and studied her face. She had painted on the stitches around her mouth and was wearing ridiculous fake eyelashes to make herself look more doll-like.

“Thanks,” she smiled at her cousin. “Ready to go.”

Amy nodded, grabbing her Hogwarts robe. Josie groaned.

“You should have dressed as someone with a coat.”

Josie stuck her tongue out, moving ahead as they walked out the door.

The walk to the club was short, thank God! Just stepping out into the crisp autumn weather made Josie start to shiver. Amy was kind enough to share her overly large cloak with her, but even so they both sighed in relief when they made it to the club and there wasn’t a huge line outside. Inside they were asked for ID, but the bouncer barely glanced at them before waving them through. Clearly this place didn’t care who came in, as long as they paid the tenner it took to get in.

Down a little hall, the room opened up before them directly on the dance floor. Tables were scattered around the fringe of the room, and a bar stood off to one side, but most of the costumed bodies pressed themselves onto the dance floor, as music pumped out through loud speakers. Mainly you heard the bass drowning out the lyrics. Josie couldn’t even label what genre she was hearing. Not that it mattered. Immediately she grabbed Amy’s hand and yanked her out to the middle of the floor to dance.

They took a break about thirty minutes later to down a couple drinks each, laughing as a couple university students chanted, “Chug! Chug! Chug!” next to them. Then they were stumbling back out, the students in tow.

A few more rounds like that, and Josie seriously needed to use the ladies’ room. One of the guys helpfully pointed her in the right direction and she took off alone through the crowd. People jostled her in every direction, making her feel a bit seasick. She practically fell into the wall on the other side of the club and pushed open the first door she saw, hoping for the best.

* * *

Donna had shown up with ten seconds to spare, dressed as Sally from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. She eyed Billie’s costume critically.

“You said you wouldn’t say anything about the coat,” she reminded her friend.

“Mad Hatter?” Donna questioned.

“Yep,” smiling, Billie smoothed out the knee-length skirt and straightened the small top hat. She had to wear three petticoats to get the skirt the right circumference, but it was worth it. This was her favorite costume. She had slipped on tights and ankle boots to complete the ensemble.

“Cute,” was Donna’s only comment, though Billie knew she wanted to argue the Technicolor coat she had just slipped on over her cap-sleeved dress. She smiled knowingly at the redhead as she wrote a quick note to Luke and walked out the door.

They made good time, despite it being Halloween. Parking was another mission entirely. It took them ten minutes just to end up parking two blocks away.

“You were so right, Donna,” Billie said sarcastically. “This was so worth changing out of my pajamas.”

“Shut it, Joseph!”

“Joseph?”

She motioned to Billie’s clothes, “Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat.”

“Oi!” Billie called after her retreating friend, “You promised.”

Donna just shrugged. Billie really had such wonderful friends.

Inside the club was packed with gyrating sweaty people, and Billie really, really regretted leaving now. She made a beeline for the bar, hoping a drink or two would help her relax a little. She couldn’t have too much though, or her shields would crumble and she’d be a reduced to a pitiful little ball of pain as drunken minds attacked her sanity. The thought made her so nervous she had to double check her protective mental barriers, just in case.

It wasn’t long before Donna wondered off with a guy on each arm, making Billie wonder, again, why she came. Billie shifted from sitting at the bar and standing on the dance floor edge. No one approached her, as per usual, so she was free to do what she wanted. Unfortunately, what she wanted was to go home. She had made up her mind to find Donna and either ask her if she wanted to leave yet (doubtful) or tell her that she was calling a cab home.

She started scanning the swaying crowd for any sign of her friend. There were multiple gingers, both fake and natural, so she couldn’t count on that as an indicator. Instead she looked for Sallys. There couldn’t be many of those, right? It wasn’t as if that movie was new or even as popular as it used to be.

She saw a Sally stumble on the other side of the crowd and head for a plain black door. She was wobbling drunkenly. Great. If Donna was that drunk, she couldn’t just leave her here to drive herself home. Sighing, Billie slowly made her way around the crowd, hoping to grab Donna quickly so they could just go home.


	17. Party Crashers: Reunions

Billie entered the dark chilly corridor cautiously. _Why in God’s name is Donna comin’ down here?_ A light coming out from beneath a doorway at the end of the hall was the only indication of life though she could see faint outlines of doorways lining the passage.

Creeping forward slowly to keep the light clicks of her shoes to a minimum, she made her way forward. A part of her wanted to call out to her friend, to tell her to come back to the party. But a bigger, louder part, that strangely sounding quite like said friend, was screaming for her to keep her bloody mouth shut and turn around. Of course she only listened to half of the advice, her curiosity guiding her on.

“ _Curiosity killed the cat, you know,_ ” a deep voice from her past spoke up.

“Satisfaction brought it back,” she whispered, repeating the words the younger version of herself had replied, all the while inching forward.

Out of nowhere, a large, calloused hand clamped over her mouth. Before she could make a noise, she was yanked to the side, into one of the side rooms where a door hung uselessly off its hinges. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as she was slammed into the wall and a large body pressed against her.

“Shhh,” a male voice breathed, somewhere above her head.

Billie paused momentarily before nodding her consent. What else could she do? He had her pinned to the wall.

His hand left her mouth as he leaned away toward the slight light coming from beyond the door, checking to make sure they weren’t heard. She used the moment to examine her abductor. Appearing to be about forty, he was tall (already established) and lean like a runner though he had broad shoulders that were slightly hunched as if burdened by some terrible weight. He wore a dark green jumper under a worn leather jacket with dark jeans and black boots. His dark hair was buzzed short, almost to the scalp drawing attention to his rather large ears. He was close enough that Billie could see his lips looked surprisingly soft, even when turned down in a harsh frown. And oh look, he had a nose to match those ears.

Billie’s gaze finally reached his eyes. They were a hard, icy blue. Something told her he’d have a glare that could kill you with a glance. They were completely expressionless, as if he’d closed himself off to the world. And yet, they were deep, fathomless as if he’d seen so much more than anyone else. They looked so _old_.

She froze. Only two people (if you wanted to call them that) that she knew of had those type of eyes. But could it be one of them? Did he change like in Aunt Sarah’s stories?

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Billie inhaled a lungful of a wonderful scent. It was earthy, and sharp, with just a hint of time. Her breath released shakily. She knew that smell. That smell had comforted her when she was that lost little girl and after when she’d inevitably fall down and scrape her knee. It had lolled her to sleep while he read her stories from other worlds. And if she concentrated hard enough, she could still catch it on the multi-colored coat she was wearing. It was her favorite scent in the whole world.

As he turned back to scowl down at her, Billie had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from grinning like a fool.

“How did you get that coat?” he growled in a harsh Northern accent.

“You gave it to me,” she whispered back. It had just occurred to her that if he were here, then there must be some sort of trouble nearby. Hence him nabbing and shushing her earlier.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he studied her carefully from head to toe. It was too bad she was wearing colored contacts. He’d probably recognize her instantly if he saw her eyes. Greg always said her eyes were like an open book.

Pushing aside the stab of pain at the thought of her lost brother, Billie smiled up at the alien in front of her, as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

“Billie Jean Smith,” he whispered in astonishment.

“Hel-” her greeting was cut off by a sudden desperate sort of hug. She laughed lightly as he picked her up off her feet, arms circling her waist and affectively cutting off a lot of air. She wound her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck breathing in her fantastic scent.

It wasn’t until she tried to pull away that she realized something was wrong. As she moved, he merely gripped tighter, his fingers digging into her sides while he buried his face into her shoulder. He clung to her like she would disappear at any second. Gently, she raised one hand to message the back of his neck, hoping he’d relax a little. Maybe loosen his death grip on her. It would be so easy to let down her shakily constructed barriers for a split second and reach out to his mind. But aside from her own pain of suddenly having a thousand minds from the party still taking place down the hall assault her consciousness, it was unpardonably rude to barge into someone’s head without permission. If she wanted answers she’d have to get them the old fashioned way.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

He hesitated. It wasn’t long, but it was enough to let her know that whatever answer he gave was going to be a big fat lie.

“You’ve changed,” he murmured.

She chuckled, “I’m twenty-four years old. I hope I’m a little different than how I was at nine.

He laughed as well, but it sounded flat, forced to her ears. But she took the answer for what it was. Whatever was bothering him wasn’t something he could or would share with her.

She sighed, pulling away again. This time he let her, gently releasing her till her shoes clicked quietly on the hard cement floor. She didn’t go far, just back enough to look up at him. His eyes were even more closed off than before, if that were possible, his lips pressed together in a hard line. As soon as she was out of his arms he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, his entire stance defensive as if waiting for her to bombard him with questions.

Instead she jerked her head in the direction of the door, “So you want to tell me what’s goin’ on, or do I have to guess?”

His lips twitched and his eyes softened, “Meanin’?”

“Well,” she began slowly, talking as if to a child, “You’re here. And you yanked me out of that hall like something was gonna attack me any moment. This is just a guess, but I’m thinking something’s down here that shouldn’t be.”

He smiled. A real, honest-to-goodness smile that lit up his entire face.

“You’re not goin’ back to the party, are ya?” She shook her head. “Right then, Billie Jean Smith,” he held out his hand in invitation. “Want to go hunt down some Cybermen?”

Grinning, Billie took his hand, just like when she was a child and needing comfort and strength from the one person who always, no matter what, made her feel safe.

* * *

Cold stale air rushed into her lungs as Josie gasped awake. Her eyes fluttered open only to slam shut again at the bright white light shining directly in her face. What had happened to her? Her head throbbed and there was a ringing in her ears. When she tried to lift her hand to press it to her head, she found she couldn’t move her arm whatsoever. Nor the other one. Her legs were bound to. Her breathing hitched as she struggled, trying not to panic.

_Okay, don’t panic. Try to remember what happened._

Slowly she ran through her day, her mind sluggishly working through the facts. She and Amy had come to London for the weekend. Just a fun girls only weekend before Amy got married. It was Halloween so they dressed up to go to a club that allowed and encouraged costumes for the night. Or any night the way they’d heard it. They’d been having fun, drinking and dancing, until, slightly tipsy, Josie had wandered off to find the ladies’ room. She made it to some weird dark corridor that clearly was not for the clubbers to wander down. So naturally that’s exactly what she did. She was heading to a door with light shining through under the door when…she couldn’t remember. Everything went black after that.

Just perfect. She was apparently tied down to what felt like a steel slap, and she had no idea how she got there, or even who put her there. She was so royally screwed.

 _If only the Doctor were here,_ the errant thought drifted through her head. She growled angrily at herself, _Well he’s not so stop being such a child and figure out a way out of this mess yourself! You’re a grown woman for God’s sake!_

Blinking her eyes open once more, Josie squinted through the light to take in her surroundings. She was by herself, strapped down to a table (just as she thought), with some sort of large, ominous machine standing nearby. A single metal door stood across the room, locked, most likely. She couldn’t see anything else because a large metal band was wrapped around her skull, restricting her movements. Her wrists, ankles, and waist were held down by leather straps.

_Could this get any worse?_

The door swung open and in marched two huge, imposing robo-men. They moved to the sides and stood still like sentries at the door.

_Yes. Yes it can._

Slowly, a man walked in after them pausing in the archway to take in the room. He looked to be in his fifties, with salt and pepper hair slicked back stylishly and a few wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He wore a tailored, dark blue Armani suit and shiny black dress shoes. His sharp gray eyes took in her prone body before he smirked and stepped fully into the room. As he drew closer Josie realized something that sent a jolt of…something through her body. It was that weird tingly feeling she always got when her special abilities kicked in.

“Wait a second, I know you,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “How do I know you?” She was sure she’d never met Mr. Armani before, but she definitely had seen his face before.

The question made him pause. He looked at her, mildly suspicious before clearing his throat and answering in an oily voice she hated instantly, “Doesn’t matter, my dear. I’m afraid you won’t live long enough to figure it out.”

Her stomach dropped and her blood froze in her veins, “What do you mean?”

He smirked at her, clearly enjoying her discomfort, “I’m going to convert you.” He gestured toward the Robo-men still standing guard. “Into one of my lovely Cybermen.”

“What!” She started struggling frantically against the bonds holding her in place. “Are you insane? Why?”

He shrugged, “I need more. You willingly traipsed in here on your own. How could I allow this opportunity to pass?”

“But why create Cybermen in the first place?” she asked nervously, still vainly trying to tug her arms and legs free. She hoped if she could keep him talking she’d be able to free herself, or stall for someone to come rescue her. She was always good at keeping the bad guys distracted. Something she’d learned while travelling with the Doctor.

“Why else?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “To take over the world.” Oh, great. Now he was doing the clichéd villain laugh. Well if he wanted to go with the clichés…

“You won’t succeed,” she growled as bravely as she could. “Someone will stop you.”

He chuckled lightly, “And who, my dear girl, would that be?”

“Me,” a voice called from behind the man.

The man whipped around to glare at the intruder, leaving just enough room for Josie to see as well. Standing next to the two Cybermen, now crumpled on the floor and throwing sparks every which way, was a tall, very skinny man in a brown pinstripe suit and white Converse with wild brown hair. His face was grim but his big brown eyes were furious, throwing off worse sparks than the junk that was once robots. The phrase “if looks could kill” ran through Josie’s head as she stared at the man who could be her savior.

His eyes flickered to her face and a spark of recognition lighted them briefly before he turned back to the villain with (impossibly) more anger than before. A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine at the same time that her body relaxed, feeling utterly safe with this new man in the room. Immediately she knew exactly who this man was.

_The Doctor, in full Oncoming Storm mode._

Biting back a smile, she forced herself to pay attention to what was unfolding before her.

“My Cybermen!” the man shouted. “What have you done?”

“Shut them down,” the man answered calmly, though his voice rang with animosity.

“How dare you!”

“How dare I? How dare you! You create monsters out of your fellow man, for what? Power? Money?”

“Yes. And eternal life,” the man’s voice became a little wistful. “Think about it. The human mind, preserved forever in a body that cannot age. Cannot die. The human race could live on. Forever.”

“Those,” the Doctor pointed to the ruined Cybermen. “Those _things_ are not human. They once were, oh yes. But the moment you ripped out their brains and stuffed them in a tin suit, you changed them. Made them into something horrible. Monstrous.”

“So you’ve come to stop me,” the man smirked knowingly. “And how do you plan on doing that when I’ve been stalling for time all along.” He pulled out some sort of remote with a red blinking light. “Waiting for my backup to arrive.”

As he spoke the sound of marching mechanical men could be heard growing louder and louder.

“Ta,” the man said before pressing a button and disappearing in a flash of bright blue light.

The Doctor rushed forward, whipped out his Sonic Screwdriver and quickly undid all of Josie’s bondage.

Sitting up, she grinned nervously at the Doctor, “Hello.”

“Hello,” he smiled back briefly before glancing around, probably searching for an escape from the oncoming Cybermen.

“So Cybermen, huh?”

“Yep,” he answered, popping the ‘p’.

“Got a plan?”

“Working on it.”

Together they stood hand in hand, listening to the sound of the Cybermen’s approach while the Doctor’s brain pieced together a plan.


	18. Party Crashers: The Swap

_Earlier…_

Surprisingly, the Professor didn’t pull her to the door at the end of the hall. Instead he led her back to the main floor of the club. The music still thrummed through her body and blew out her eardrums. People still swayed all over the dance floor and downed drinks by the bar. It was as if nothing had changed. And yet her whole world had been tipped on its axis. Except for being thrown off kilter, Billie felt like everything was falling back where it was supposed to. Like she had been living in chaos before and now, when she was hunting down Cybermen with a thousand-plus-year-old alien, everything was calm again.

As they moved around the fringe of the crowd Billie sped slightly to get closer to the Professor, calling loudly, “So what are Cybermen, exactly?”

He switched from holding her hand to wrapping his arm around her waist, bowing his head in order for her to hear him better, “Once they were human. But a man name Miles Harrison decided one day that he could make the human race better. So he worked with the best and the brightest scientists the Earth had to offer and, with a little help from alien technology, they were able to create a robotic man that could house a human’s brain, therefore allowing them to live forever. No aging, no sickness, no advancement. They just freeze. Turn them into machines.”

Billie shook her head, disgusted, “That’s horrible.”

The Professor rubbed her back comfortingly as he continued, “So far we know he’s been able to convert at least two dozen people.” She made a distressed noise and he rubbed her back again. “But we also happen to know that he is the owner of this club, which happens to have a lab brewing in the basement with all the Cybermen just waiting to jump into action.”

“Please tell me you have a plan,” she begged.

He grinned down at her, “Already started.”

She smiled back as they finally came to a halt next to a tall thin man with wild brown hair wearing a pinstripe suit bouncing impatiently near some tables. He was rather attractive in that pretty boy sort of way. She should probably keep him away from Donna.

The man looked over at the Professor gave a small grin and glanced at Billie. He did a double take, jaw going slack.

Billie giggled, “Hello, Doctor!”

“Billie!” he called joyously, snatching her up in giant bear hug, making her laugh harder.

“Really into hugs this time ‘round, I see.”

He grinned widely as he set her down, “Oh, look at you. All grown up!”

She continued to giggle, “Thanks, I guess.”

He suddenly turned serious, studying her through squinted brown eyes. She knew that look. It may have been a new face, but the look never changed. He wanted to use her in some way in their big ‘save the Earth’ plan. Possibly in a way that would embarrass her.

“Tell me, Billie,” he said slowly, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. “Do you still have those brilliant pickpocketing skills of yours?”

As he leaned away she gave him a big mischievous grin, “What did you have in mind?”

The Professor chuckled, pulling a black remote thingy with a red light atop it out of his jacket, “This device will allow us to shut down all the Cybermen as well as capture Mr. Harrison.”

“Brilliant!” She wasn’t even going to bother asking how that worked, “But why do you need me then?”

“Because the device will only work if the creator of the Cybermen uses it.”

She snorted, “Good luck with that, mate.”

“You see,” the Doctor explained, taking the device from his brother. “We’ve replicated this off of Mr. Harrison’s homing device he uses to call his Cybermen army, as well as a teleportation device to go home.”

She grinned again, “So he activates this one, thinking it’s going to call his army, when really it kills them. Then he tries to teleport home and gets captured.”

“Precisely! Clever girl!”

She stuck her tongue out at him, “Let me guess, you want me to swap this one for the real one?”

“Exactly,” the Professor smiled. “You were always a fast learner.”

She rolled her eyes. Now they were just trying to butter her up. Taking the device she turned to face the voluminous crowd, “So where is this evil bloke?”

Chuckling, the Professor pointed out to the middle of the crowd. She could just make out a man in a nice suit with graying black hair. Chewing her lip, she tried to come up with a plan. It wouldn’t be very hard to get close to him. The crowd left little room for comfort. The problem was he looked like a man who was very aware of his surroundings at all times. She’d need a good distraction to be able to replace something in his pocket without him noticing.

Glancing around, she told her friends, “I need a drink.”

“Here,” the Doctor handed her a tall glass with yellow frosty liquid inside. “Take mine.”

Nodding, Billie carefully slipped the device up her rolled up sleeve, taking care that it didn’t fall out, and took his drink. She took a few sips to make it seem like she’d been drinking a while and choked on the taste, “Is that Banana?”

“Bananas are good,” both aliens said at once.

Chuckling she rolled her eyes and fake stumbled through the crowd, pretending to talk to people who she knew but really just saying random things to strangers who were too drunk to care. As she neared her target she turned around to walk backwards, flirting drunkenly with the nearest guy her age, who quickly returned the compliments. Laughing, she spun back around at just the right moment…

To slam directly into the chest of Mr. Harrison. Her drink tumbled out of her loose grasp, spilling the contents all over his suit before shattering on the hard floor. As she stumbled against him for a moment, actually trying to regain her equilibrium, she slipped her hand into his side pocket, grasping the device she felt inside before letting the one up her sleeve slip out. It took all of five seconds. Quickly tucking the real thing back up her sleeve, Billie pulled away from the man, painting a look of horror on her face as she quickly grabbed napkins from a nearby table to wipe him down, mumbling apologizes the whole time.

“Hey,” the man said calmly, taking her wrists to stop her frantic cleaning. She looked up into his cold eyes, making sure her own were wide with innocence. “It’s alright. Why don’t you go find your friends, yeah?”

She nodded dumbly before staggering away in the opposite direction she came in. She’d have to make the trip back around the crowd but she couldn’t let the man see the Professor or Doctor. She made it to a small closed off section of tables before ducking around a large group of people and watching as the man walked into the back, probably to change his now soiled suit.

Suddenly she was lifted into the air by two wiry arms, “Billie! That was brilliant! Brilliant Billie, that’s what I’ll call you from now on!”

She chuckled as the Doctor set her back down again, “Please don’t.” She handed over the device to the Professor who was smiling proudly at her. Really, these two were the only men who would think pickpocketing was something to be this proud over. “Now what?”

“Now we go save that girl that had wandered down the hall earlier.”

“What girl?” Billie’s brow furrowed. She felt like she was forgetting something.

“The ginger,” the Doctor said cheerfully. “Dressed up like Sally. Brilliant costume!”

Billie hit her head with her palm. How could she be so stupid?

“What’s wrong?” the Professor said immediately.

“Donna! She was the one I followed down that hall. I was looking for her and I ran into you. She could be in so much danger!”

“Well then,” the Professor offered her his hand again. “Let’s go save Donna.”

* * *

_Now…_

Suddenly all the marching ceased and the room grew eerily quiet. The Doctor grinned widely down at her, “See? Told you I was working on it.”

“Oi!” a Northern accent called from behind. “We did most of the work.”

Josie turned to see a gruff man in leather towing a brunette woman dressed as the Mad Hatter into the room.

“No you didn’t,” the Doctor shook his head. “I had to do a lot of acting just then.”

“Yes, but I believe I was the one who switched the devices,” the girl said teasingly. “Thus if it weren’t for me you’d all be dead.”

“I made the replica device to begin with,” the Doctor pouted.

“Still be dead without me,” she said in a sing-song voice, grinning widely.

Josie stifled a laugh behind her hand and the girl winked at her.

“Alright, alright,” the Doctor agreed laughingly. “Let’s all just get out of here.”

“But what about the Cybermen?” Josie asked worriedly.

“Already taken care of,” the Professor told her. She was sure he was the Professor. Who else would get caught up in this craziness? And the girl must be their new companion.

“I’ll explain later,” the Doctor promised before turning back to the Mad Hatter. “Oi, what happened to your friend then?”

She smiled and shrugged, “Must have thought she was Donna.” She motioned to Josie as she spoke. “I mean, really, what’s the chance of there being two natural gingers dressed up like Sally in one club?”

“Yeah, that is pretty out there,” Josie agreed. “Even for these two.”

“Tell me about it,” she laughed.

The conversation was broken up by a loud ringing.

“Oops, sorry. That’s me.” The woman then proceeded to dig through the pockets of the most ridiculous coat Josie had ever seen. After she dug into one up to her elbow, Josie knew the pockets had to be bigger on the inside. Finally a cell phone emerged and the girl answered quickly, “Hey Donna.”

“Ironic,” the Doctor muttered.

“Nah, you go on ahead. Tell you what, I ran into some family friends, so I’ll just hitch a ride with them, yeah? See you.” She turned to the Professor as she dropped the phone back into her pocket, “Mind giving me a lift home?”

The Professor nodded, “Sarah Jane home?”

“Nope. Journalism sleeps for no man or woman.”

“Ah.”

The Professor and the Mad Hatter woman had moved away, heading out the door as the Doctor lingered by Josie.

“So?” she asked. “You gonna explain?”

“What? Oh yes, Cybermen, right.” He paused, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “How ‘bout we go get some nibbles while we talk? This could take a while.”

“That sounds nice.”

The door opened again and the woman poked her head in, “You two coming? We’re gonna go get some chips. My treat.”

Josie shrugged, “Sure.”

As they walked to the door, the Doctor grabbed her hand again, swinging their arms between them.


	19. Party Crashers: All Of Time And Space

Josie sat across the park bench from the Doctor, her feet lying in his lap, as they both snacked on the chips the woman (Billie, she said her name was) had bought. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around it. Not the Cybermen or Billie’s history. All that had quickly been filed away in her mind as weird in the typical Doctor and Professor way.

No, what was really bothering her was the Doctor’s face. The adrenaline rush from being captured had worn off and she had finally gotten a good look at him. It wasn’t that he looked different; she had lived through that already. It was the fact that she already knew that face. Knew it better than her own some days. It was the face that still haunted her dreams occasionally. The one that had been there throughout that horrible ordeal with Torchwood, giving her hope for something better. And it had been the Doctor all along.

The fact that the man who had saved her and the man she had once dreamt of saving her were the same was weird enough. The fact that he had just saved her again and they were sitting there eating chips like it was any other day was completely throwing her off her game.

The Doctor chuckled, bringing her out of her reverie.

“What?” she asked chuckling as well.

“You both have ginger friends,” he said like he was pointing out the sky was blue. At her confused look he clarified, “You and Billie. You both have ginger best friends. You both met the Professor and me when you were little. We had to rescue you both from some horrible fate in order to meet you. You both have family members that are our good friends. You two have a lot in common. It’s kind of scary, now that I think about it.”

“Yeah,” she said slowly. “Scary.” She looked out across the play park at the swing set. The Professor and Billie had finished eating and he was currently pushing her on the swing. She could hear the laughter from here.

“You alright?” the Doctor asked gently.

She nodded, “I’m fine. It’s just…”

“What?”

“I used to have this vision. Back at Torchwood.” His eyes darkened at the name. She quickly carried on, “Just a face. It used to make me feel better for some reason. Like this person would always protect me.”

He looked utterly bewildered now, “Oh?”

She nodded, looking away again, “It was your face Doctor. The one you have now.”

The was a long stretch of silence as he let that sink in. “Well I’m glad I could help.”

She laughed, “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

He shrugged, smiling a little.

She shook her head at him, “You are so weird.”

“So are you,” he stuck his tongue out at her, making her giggle. “Ah, see that’s better. Always laugh, Josie. It makes the world brighter.”

She smiled. Her Grandfather always told her that. Now at least she knew where he got it from.

“So what are you gonna do now?” she asked quietly, suddenly depressed at the thought of him leaving her here on Earth.

“Oh you know,” he said overly bright, looking away. “Back to the TARDIS. All of time and space and all that.”

“Mmm,” she nodded, staring at the empty chip container in her lap.

“And well,” he hesitated. “You could always…”

Her head snapped up. He was watching her carefully as if afraid of her answer.

“What? You mean, travel…”

“With us?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.” He paused. “Wait was that ‘yeah, you’ll travel’ or ‘yeah, with us’?”

She started laughing. What kind of question was that? She was about to accept, lay everything out there and jump into the blue box and leave this planet. But something made her pause. She had a life here. She was Amy’s Maid of Honor. Her Grandfather had just retired, was hoping they could take a vacation together this summer. She had just gotten a gallery to showcase some of her paintings. Was she really prepared to throw all that away?

“I don’t know, Doctor,” she said sadly.

“Oh,” his face fell before he slipped back on the happy mask. “Well, of course you wouldn’t want to leave. All the things you have here.”

“But that’s just it,” she said shaking her head. “I do want to go. But then again I don’t. I think I just need some time to decide, Doctor. I’m sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be sorry,” he said giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m a Time Lord. All I have is time.”

She smiled sadly at him, “Whatever you say, Doctor.”

* * *

“Professor stop!” Billie giggled. “You’re making me dizzy!”

He released the chains of the swing allowing it to spin out until the young woman was facing him again. He had already made up his mind to bring her along as a companion. He just hoped she was as enthusiastic about it as she had been as a child, or how Sarah Jane had been when she was younger. She was just as smiley as ever, even getting him to relax and laugh a little, something he hadn’t done since the Time War.

“Tell me more about Luke,” he demanded. It was nice to hear about his past companion’s life now that she had an adopted son.

“He’s really smart,” Billie said, still smiling widely. “I think he could even put you to shame.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”

She nodded and he snapped his hands out, spinning her in the swing until she started to protest again, all the while giggling madly. He grinned at her as she came to a halt again. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Very mature, Billie,” he teased.

She chuckled, “I haven’t acted like this in years. You just egg me on.”

He shrugged, unashamed.

Silence fell for a few moments as each collected their thoughts.

“Professor,” she finally said, all traces of humor gone. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Always,” was the immediate answer.

“What’s wrong?” He frowned at her. “Back in that hall, when you found me, I could tell that something was wrong. And not some small thing that you can brush off either. You were holding me like I’d disappear.”

So she’d caught that? He sighed sitting down in the swing next to her. One of the reasons he wanted to bring her along on their travels was because she had seen Gallifrey, had met Brax and befriended Romana. Hell, she’d helped save Romana. And now his home world was gone. All that was left was a blue box, two war-torn Time Lords, and the handful of humans they’d taken there to visit. Most of said humans wouldn’t be willing to travel like they did anymore. Only Billie and Josie. They were young and eager to see more of the universe, to understand. They had so many skills to help during adventures and compassion to want to help in the first place. And in them they could keep close that one little piece of Gallifrey that was all that was left.

But how could he explain that to Billie? How could he tell her what a monster he was? That he had lived up to his name as Destroyer of Worlds? The Doctor couldn’t even take any of the blame in this one, though he tried. He had been unconscious during those final moments, on the verge of regeneration. And the Professor had followed not long after the final blast.

He looked over at the wide brown eyes that held no fear, no accusation. How could he take that away, not only from her, but from himself? He couldn’t be a monster in her eyes. He’d never be able to survive that.

But she was waiting for an answer, and being a telepath, she would know instantly if he tried to lie. He would have to settle for only part of the truth.

“There was a war. The Last Great Time War,” he said quietly. “ Against the Daleks. We lost.”

Her breath hitched audibly and when she spoke her voice was wobbly, “How much?”

“Everything.”

“Gallifrey?”

He flinched at the name, could only nod mutely. Choking on a sob, he heard her launch herself out of her swing and into his lap, curling up there like she had so many times in the past when seeking comfort. It had been a different lap, and she had been a small child, but it felt the same, yet better. It was comforting and safe and he felt the tight knot over his heart loosen at just being able to bury his nose in her hair and rock her on the swing as she reined her emotions in.

Finally when she was down to sniffles she looked up at him through red puffy eyes, “I’m so, so sorry, Professor. That’s the worst thing that could ever happen. I didn’t know.”

He didn’t have an answer. Couldn’t speak around the lump in his throat anyway. So instead he just tucked her back under his chin and held her tightly.

“Is there anything I can do?” she whispered.

Well, now was as good a time to mention it as any. “Come with me. With me and the Doctor.”

“I…” she hesitated. He panicked. Did she not want to come? “I have to at least wait till morning, when Aunt Sarah comes home. She’d kill me if I just took off without talking about it with her first.”

“But you want to?” he needed to be sure. “This isn’t just about me, you know. I don’t want you to some just ‘cause of me.”

She chuckled, playfully swatting his arm, “Twit! Despite what you may think, the whole universe does not revolve around you!”

He laughed, the tension breaking as he gently pushed the swing a little higher.

* * *

Josie sat cross-legged on her bed staring at her phone. It was almost morning and she’d promised the Doctor she’d let him know by dawn. All night she’d sat there staring at her phone. Well no, that wasn’t true. She had made one call when she got in to her Grandfather, asking his opinion. He’d been more than accepting, telling her to stop being a chicken (though he used a more vulgar term that does not need repeating) and pack her bags. While that had been encouraging, she still wasn’t sure. What if she made a huge mistake and regretted it later?

She groaned flopping back against the pillows. Amy tossed in the bed next to her, mumbling something about spinach puffs. Probably had to do with the wedding. That was the main worry in her mind. How could she just abandon her cousin like that? It was her wedding for Pete’s sake! But then again, this could be a onetime thing. There was no guarantee the Doctor would come for her a third time. Actually the fact that this was her second offer to travel already made it a miracle. Did she really want to push it?

Hopping off the bed, she scooped up her phone and headed to the bathroom so she wouldn’t wake Amy. Before heading home, Billie had insisted on exchanging phone numbers, even if neither woman decided to go with the Time Lords, they still could use someone to talk to who understood everything they had gone through. Right now, it would be nice to have the other girl’s perspective on the situation. They may not have known each other long, but Josie definitely could see them getting along very well.

Scrolling down to the appropriate contact, Josie took a deep breath as she waited for Billie to answer the phone.

“’Ello?” a groggy voice answered, the South London accent thicker when she was tired.

“Billie?”

“Who’s this?”

“It’s Josie,” there was a clatter in the background, a loud thump, and finally a muttered curse. Trying not to laugh she asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Billie said around a yawn. “Fell outta bed. What’s up?”

“I was just wondering if…you know…you’d made a decision yet.”

There was a pause, “Yes and no.”

“What’s that mean?”

She sighed, “Honestly, I still want to talk to my aunt first. She’s the one that was traveling with them when I got zapped back in time. I doubt she’d tell me to stay, but I’ll feel better telling her face-to-face. Why? You having trouble deciding?”

“Kinda,” she chewed her lip, “I just…I’m not sure if I should go. I mean I got Amy’s wedding, and the whole gallery thing…what made you decide?”

She hesitated, “You mean he didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Bloody alien,” Billie muttered before answering. “Alright look I’ll tell ya, but you need to swear you won’t say a word to anyone, especially the Doctor and Professor unless they talk to you about it. And even then don’t let them know I told you first, got it?”

“Alright. I swear.” A knot of apprehension twisted in her stomach. Whatever this was it was making the obviously laidback Billie tense, and that just spelled disaster.

She sighed, “Okay, listen closely. I’m not going for me. I’m going ‘cause the Professor needs me there.”

“What d’you mean?” she whispered.

“Just listen. I’m getting there.” A pause. “Have you ever been to Gallifrey?”

“Yeah. They took me when I was traveling with them. It’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it was.” She didn’t say anymore and it took a moment before it clicked in Josie’s brain.

“Wait,” she gasped. “You said _was_.”

“There was this war. The Last Great Time War. The Time Lords fought against the Daleks, apparently. And they lost Josie. There are no more Time Lords. Just the Professor and Doctor. No more Gallifrey.”

A broken sob caught in her throat as tears spilled down her face. Her phone slipped out of fingers, clattering to the floor. Here she was worrying about her life, how she would be affected leaving Earth, when right in front of her she failed to see that the Doctor had asked her so that he wouldn’t be as lonely anymore. How selfish could she get? No more.

Billie’s voice drifted up from the phone, asking if she was alright.

“Okay,” she answered, taking deep breaths to calm herself. “I’m coming.”

“Josie, listen to me,” Billie said seriously. “I would love if you came with us, but you have to be sure that this is what you want.”

“What about you?” Josie shot back, turning to the sink to wash her face one-handed. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve always known I was going to travel with them again,” she sounded sort of sad now. “I’ve never really belonged here.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know the feeling.”

They were both silent, a sense of camaraderie springing up between them, even miles apart, talking over the phone.

“Hey,” Josie said upbeatly, hoping to break some tension. “You think they’ll mind stopping by Leadworth so I can pack a couple bags?”

Billie snorted, “I doubt you’ll give them a choice. I’ll see you in a couple hours, yeah?”

“See you,” Josie promised before hanging up. Taking a bracing breath, she turned, walking out to face the worst creature imaginable. She’d rather take on the Cybermen. She had to tell the Bridezilla that she wouldn’t be around to help plan anymore. Then again, maybe this offer came at just the right moment.


	20. Skin: The Hunchback

Lounging in an overstuffed armchair near the fire with her legs swinging over one of the arms, Billie brushed away a tear before it could run down her cheek. She always had a tendency to get emotional over books – something Greg had always teased her about. Sighing, she laid _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ upside down on the end table near her elbow to keep her place. It was so well used it slumped right down to the table, the spine completely bent. As she rose from the chair she stretched out her back. How long had she been sitting there? An hour? Two? She had escaped to the library soon after their latest adventure, wanting to unwind for a bit, but it was strange that none of the other TARDIS residents had come to collect her. Normally she could barely finish a chapter before one of them pulled her away for one thing or another.

Now getting a little worried, Billie picked up her empty tea cup and went to wash it out in the kitchen. Hopefully she’d run into someone on the way and find out why they’d all been so suspiciously quiet for so long.

The kitchen was only a few doors down, thanks to some helpful rearranging by the TARDIS. She found the Professor washing out his own cup at the sink and quietly walked up behind him. He took her cup without a word and washed it out as well.

“Thank you,” she said, hopping up on the counter to be more on eye level with him.

He just nodded. Billie had noticed over the past week of time travel that the Professor seemed less inclined to talk in this incarnation. The Doctor blabbered on none stop, and really the Professor could too, when the occasion called for it, but he neither said much of importance. She didn’t want to push about the war, but part of her just wanted him to talk to ease all his pain. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t help at all. What if it made it worse?

Sighing, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. The same things had been warring in her mind since the Professor first told her about the Time War. None of it helped her whatsoever, of course. Only made her stress even more. She was sure he could tell too, but like she said, he never talked about anything.

“What are you reading?” he asked suddenly, leaning on the counter next to her. It wasn’t a strange question, really. She was always reading something.

“ _The Hunchback_ ,” she answered readily.

He chuckled, “Haven’t you read that enough already?”

She smiled. That was one of the first books he had shown her as a child. It had been the abridged version then, but it had stuck as one of her favorites. She read it at least once a year.

“It never gets old,” she shrugged.

He turned his head to study her, sharp eyes taking in every contour of her face and making her feel x-rayed. She suddenly realized how close he stood to her, her leg pressed against his side, their faces mere inches from each other. And yet she didn’t feel awkward, didn’t have the urge to lean away. She had never felt more comfortable with someone in her life. But it had always been that way with him. Even the weirdest behavior couldn’t freak her out when she was around him because he made it seem like there was nothing to be ashamed of. She wished more people were like that. Maybe she would have dated more then.

“How do you feel about opera?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She blinked, taken aback. Where had that come from? “Opera?”

He nodded once, “In April of 1914, an opera written by Franz Schmidt opened in Vienna called _Notre Dame_.”

Billie chuckled, “Someone wrote an opera based on _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_?”

“Yep,” he grinned at her, his face almost splitting in two. “How’d you like to see it? Opening night?”

A smile slowly spread across her face, “1914?”

He nodded.

“Well then,” she jumped off the counter. “I think I need to go change.”

She was about to rush out the door when she felt her hoodie get caught on something. She turned to see the Professor holding her back, the Cheshire Cat grin still firmly in place.

“Tell Josie while you’re at it. She takes longer than you to get ready.”

Laughing, she nodded as he let her go and she stumbled to the door.

* * *

The wardrobe room was huge with multiple floors filled with clothing for every occasion from every era and planet in the universe. So naturally the only time Billie set foot in the place was when she was younger and she played dress-up. Josie, however enjoyed milling about in there about as often as Billie lounged around the library.

Billie sighed, pushing open the large oak double doors and gazing out at the endless supply of fashion. Scowling she refused to look for her new friend the hard way.

“Josie!” she yelled as loud as she could. Having been friends with Donna Noble for the last thirteen years taught her a thing or two about being heard, that was for sure.

A moment passed before there was a soft rustle and Josie popped out of a row of dresses, her ginger hair sticking up in every direction. She smiled at the other woman and clambered out brushing dust bunnies off her designer-looking wrap dress.

“What’s up?” Despite having lived most of her life in England, Josie still had a hint of Southern in her American accent.

“The Professor’s taking us to see an opera in 1914.”

Josie’s squeal of delight stopped her from saying anything else. The redhead immediately dashed back to the rows and rows of clothing in search of something appropriate. She turned when Billie didn’t join her, “Aren’t you gonna start looking? You know they hate waiting.”

She shook her head, “I’ll just have the TARDIS pick something out for me.”

Her eyes went wide, “She does that?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s never done that for me.”

Billie shrugged, “She knows you like to pick things out yourself. I prefer to just grab and go. If she didn’t pick it out for me I’d probably just wear jeans wherever we go.”

Josie snorted, “You sound like the Professor.”

“So I’ve been told,” she joked, turning on her heel to head to her room. “I’ll see you in the Console room, yeah?”

“Uh-huh,” Josie answered vaguely, already distracted by the pretty silks and fine laces.

* * *

The Professor stood fiddling with the controls as he waited for the girls to emerge. The Doctor had joined him shortly after Billie had disappeared and now both men were impatiently glancing down the hall whenever possible. Why women of every species took forever to get ready was beyond him. Billie at least was faster than most, but even she was taking longer than normal today.

He was about to shout down the hall for them when he heard the click of heels on the grating. He looked up and immediately stopped breathing. He had known Billie since she was nine-years-old, but never had he seen her looking so exquisite as she did in that moment. He doubted he had ever seen anyone look this gorgeous.

Her soft red, vintage gown fell all the way down to the grating, forcing her to lift it slightly so she could walk. Off-white lace accented around the edges and as a sort of underskirt. A deep red velvet bow tied just under her breasts, hinting at the small waist under all the fabric. Her long brown hair was pulled half up out of her face, the rest tumbling down her back in silken curls. A few tendrils escaped the pins falling down to caress her face. She wore little make-up, just a hint of mascara and some color on her lips. She didn’t even need that, in his opinion.

“Blimey,” his mouth ran away from him. He bit his tongue. This was not good. This was the little girl he had rescued from the Weeping Angels, the one he read bedtime stories to, the one… the one smiling softly at him, a soft pink blush covering her cheeks as she ducked her head, unused to compliments.

“You look marvelous, Billie,” the Doctor told her, reminding them of his presence.

“Thank you. The TARDIS picked it out,” she said softly.

 _Thank you TARDIS,_ the Professor thought, despite himself.

There was a hum of approval from the sentient ship just as more clicks from heels approached the control room. The Professor tore his eyes from Billie, who had stepped to the side, and looked at Josie now entering. She looked just as beautiful as Billie, though still very different. Her gown, though of the same era, was a deep blue with silver beading accents. The back went out further into a train and a shawl-like top was practically see-through, revealing pale shoulders. Her hair was swept up in a fancy twist at the back of her head with locks falling in perfect disarray. Her face was expertly made, though she wore a touch more than Billie.

“Blimey,” the Doctor echoed his brother’s earlier sentiment.

Before it could get awkward, Billie chuckled, “I guess we’re both getting a lot of that today.”

Josie laughed with her before turning to the Professor, who yet again had to forcefully tear his eyes from Billie. What was wrong with him today?

“So an opera, you say?”

“Right!” he answered excitedly, jumping back into piloting the TARDIS along with his brother. “Vienna, 1914. Here we go!”

The girls hung on with all their might to the railing, wishing they had waited to change till _after_ they arrived, but laughing none the less at the Time Lords’ antics around the console.

A sudden jolt signaled their landing, and Billie smiled widely at the Professor, making his stomach flip. Really if this happened every time she put on a dress, they weren’t going anywhere else fancy. It was getting ridiculous.

“Did we make it?” she asked, jarring him out of his thoughts.

“Let’s see, shall we?” he offered her his arm and, laughing, she took it, letting him lead her out the door, the Doctor and Josie following in a similar situation.

They stepped out to a brisk spring evening in Austria, the girls shivering slightly in their delicate dresses. The Professor smiled. Perfect landing.

“So what opera are we seeing?” Josie asked as they made their way down a road with horse-drawn carriages rattling by.

“ _Notre Dame_ ,” the Doctor told her.

“Never heard of it.”

No one said anything as the opera house came into view. The girls gasped, their eyes going wide at the magnificent building towering in front of them, people in similar period clothes milling about outside, waiting for the start of the opera. The Professor smiled down at his young charge, urging her forward as he pulled the psychic paper out of his jacket pocket.


	21. Skin: The Opera Ghost

She had never been to an opera before. The fact that her first was going to be in 1914 just made it all the more sweeter. And if she thought the opera house was stunning on the outside, the inside practically took her breath away. As they were led to their seats in a private box, Billie gazed up at the beautifully painted ceiling. In the dim light it was hard to tell what the paintings were besides swirls of colors, but that didn’t make it any less gorgeous. A magnificent crystal chandelier hung down from the ceiling, swinging lightly over the crowd below. She shivered at the sight. It was just a little too _Phantom of the Opera_ for her, but in a good way.

The lights dimmed a bit more and silence slowly fell over the waiting crowd. Billie scooted to the edge of her seat, eager not to miss a second of the performance. The Professor chuckled behind her but she just ignored him. Dark red velvet curtains parted and the show began. She laughed, she cried, Josie practically bawled into the Doctor’s shoulder, but mostly Billie was so stunned she couldn’t do much more than stare wide-eyed and slack-jawed at the stage. During intermission she sat numbly in her seat as the Doctor and Professor chatted quietly. Josie had gone to freshen up in the ladies’ room and made it back just in time for the second act.

It was in the middle of the second act when Billie caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Considering they were seated in one of the top boxes, movement this high up was highly unusual. Turning her head slightly, she looked at the chandelier as it swayed gently back and forth from the power of the orchestra. That was normal, right? Following the line up toward the ceiling, she spotted something that wasn’t normal at all. The ceiling was cracking around the hold of the chandelier, plaster dust drifting down like little snowflakes. As she watched more cracks appeared, as if someone was hitting the floor above as hard as possible with a mallet or axe. It happened again and this time the chandelier fell an inch.

Gasping, Billie quickly turned to warn the Professor only to find him staring in horror at the ceiling as well. He was out of his seat before she could open her mouth, screaming over the balcony at the people below. People screamed and ran for their lives as the ceiling finally gave way with a thunderous crack. The crystal glinted as it tumbled to the ground, shattering and spraying everyone below with glass. Immediately a fire began to burn on the velvet seats.

“Time to go,” the Doctor said hurriedly, grasping Josie’s elbow and pulling her out the box.

The Professor and Billie hung back, both gazing up to the hole now in the middle of the once perfect ceiling. Shadows shifted from above, proving that someone or something was behind this.

The Professor turned to face her. Their eyes locked for a long minute. Warmth began to spread throughout her body under his worried gaze. A loud crash from above tore their attention back upwards. Pieces of ceiling were starting to break off and drop to the slow burning inferno forming in the lower levels.

“Let’s go,” the Professor growled, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close as they made their way out of the building.

“What do you think happened?” she whispered when they made it out into the open. People from the opera were still milling about gossiping in terrified voices as the police and fire department appeared.

“Aside from the obvious,” he hesitated, glancing down at her. “Not sure.”

“Okay,” she sighed as they made it to the TARDIS. The Doctor was waiting in the control room, fiddling with the monitor and Josie was nowhere to be seen. “I’m gonna go change.”

The Professor nodded, joining his brother with smacking the monitor like it would help. She took a deep breath as she wandered down the hall. There went their nice evening out.

* * *

This was possibly the stupidest idea she’d ever heard, and Billie was going along with it like she hadn’t a care in the world. Then again, with the way the Professor hovered protectively around her, she probably felt perfectly safe sneaking into a building that had been on fire not three hours before. Even Josie had to admit having the Doctor there comforted her somewhat, but that didn’t change the fact that they were all officially insane in her opinion.

Josie and Billie flicked on their flashlights as they entered through the side service door, the Professor and Doctor holding their sonic screwdrivers ready just in case. Carefully the four travelers made their way through the backstage area into the auditorium. The tangled blackened mass that was once the chandelier still sat in the middle of charred seats. The smell of smoke and burnt plastic, metal, and God knows what else still lingered in the air, almost choking them as the move to a back staircase. They silently climbed, ears straining to pick up the slightest sound of movement. More than once Josie nearly shouted out because of a stupid rat scurrying around the floor boards of the empty rotting attic.

Except for the gaping hole in the middle of the room, the attic appeared to be like any other. Carefully the Professor crouched down at the edge of the hole and started sonicing it while the Doctor waved Josie over to a corner, wanting to use her flashlight to look through some old files lying around. Instead she tossed it to him, not wanting to chance the rickety floor even if it did hold the men’s weight. He smirked at her, knowing what she was thinking and she stuck her tongue out at him before joining Billie on some crates in the corner nearest the door.

“So what d’you think?” Josie asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Crazy disfigured person hiding in the sewers with a major crush on the lead singer?”

Billie snorted, “At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“What do you mean?”

She blinked at Josie, “How long have you known those two?”

“Good point,” she nodded. “If anyone’s finding an phantom in an opera house, it’s them.”

“And us, by association.”

Josie chuckled, “Great. That’s totally what every little girl dreams about.”

“Nope,” Billie said grinning at her cheekily. “Just you.”

Josie punched her playfully on the arm as they laughed quietly. Sighing, she allowed her focus to wander, her eyes traveling around the room absently as she tried to keep herself entertained enough not to fall asleep. The adrenalin from the crash had worn off and she was feeling decidedly sleepy.

Which is why she didn’t realize immediately that she was staring directly into a pair of pale eyes behind an opera mask in the doorway. She blinked, focusing her eyes and the figure shifted away, slinking further into the shadows. Okay, so her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. And suddenly she wasn’t so sleepy.

“Hey!” she shouted jumping up. The figure darted away. Instinctually, Josie rushed after it. She heard trainers hitting the ground behind her but didn’t know if it was the Doctor or Billie. She kept her attention on the black shape moving ahead of her down the stairs and back through the auditorium. Whoever it was they had a long black cloak on that swished whenever he turned a corner and billowed out behind him like Batman’s cape.

She heard her follower slowing slightly. Billie, then. At the same time she pushed herself to go faster, trying her best to catch up to the man who’d been watching them. More than once her fingers just brushed the long cape before they slipped out of her grasp. It was on the stage that she was finally able to grip a fistful of the silken fabric and tug the man to a halt, making them both stumble for a moment as they panted for breath.

“Josie!” the Doctor called across the room as the man spun around, trying to break free of the hold. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it, making her cry out in pain, but she kept her fist tightly closed. Reaching up she grabbed his collar with her free hand, hoping to pull him close enough to knee him in the groin and drop him, but at the same time his long spindly fingers circled her neck, choking and pushing her away in one swift movement. Refusing to give up, Josie released his collar in favor of poking his eye. Generally this worked to startle the opponent enough that they release you. Not to mention it hurts like a bitch. But she failed to remember the mask he wore. She got his eye, but as he pulled away with a startled cry, she pulled the mask off him. She caught a glimpse of horribly distorted flesh before he threw off the cape altogether and bolted for the side door they had used to gain entry.

Coughing, she slumped to the floor, disappointed that he got away. The Doctor rushed over and quickly began running the sonic over her to check for injuries while the Professor ran out in pursuit.

“Damn,” Billie said as she sat down next to Josie. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

Chuckling weakly, Josie held up the mask, “Looks like we were right.”

Billie sighed, “Our lives are so strange.”

“Yes they are.”

They both smiled and spoke in unison, “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Doctor looked between the two for a moment, “You two are both frightening.”

The girls laughed as the Professor walked back in empty handed, “Lost ‘im.”

Josie sighed. All that and they had nothing to show for it but a white opera mask and an overly-dramatic cape. The Doctor, however, looked ecstatic about something, running his sonic over the mask and cape over and over again. The Professor helped pull her up, giving her a small proud smile and Billie went to look over the Doctor’s shoulder.

“What is it?” the brunette asked.

“I think I know what did this.”

“Notice he says what, not who,” Josie pointed out, smirking at Billie who grinned back.

“And we can track him,” he finished with a triumphant grin, ignoring the girls eye rolls.


	22. Skin: The Slave of Duty

“The sewers?” Josie whined from behind him as he pulled the grating off the manhole at his feet. “Why is it always the sewers?”

“It’s not _always_ the sewers,” the Doctor said, not looking up. He was still upset with her for running ahead and grappling with the man in the mask without any help. He nearly had a heart attack when Billie, who had waited behind for them to catch up, had told them Josie was chasing down “some guy who was watching them.” What had she been thinking? She could have gotten seriously hurt. Taking a deep breath, he shoved aside the niggling worry feeling in his stomach and focused on the matter at hand. “Sometimes it’s–”

“Oh, don’t start babbling,” Billie complained, making the Professor chuckle. The Doctor pouted at his older brother. Why was the man always taking Billie Jean’s side? It wasn’t fair.

Carefully, he stepped onto the top rung of the ladder in the hole, pausing to grin up at his companions, “Allons-y!”

Even with his superior eyesight, it was far too dark to see more than a foot in front of his face. Turning back up toward the minimal light being blocked by a body climbing down slowly, he shouted, “Josie, you still have your torch?”

“Torch?” she sounded confused, and closer than he was expecting. She must have been the one coming down.

“Flashlight,” Billie shouted down.

“Oh.” He could hear the shift of fabric.

“How long have you been in England?” Billie’s amused voice drifted down.

“Shut up,” Josie called back. “Catch, Doctor.”

The small metallic torch hurdled down towards his face. The Doctor caught it easily and flicked it on. The sewer appeared to be like any other. Dark and dank with a rancid smell of feces in the air and a small stream of dirty water running down the tunnels. Josie came up beside him, her nose wrinkling adorably at the stench. He reached out, lacing his fingers through hers, and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. She smiled slightly up at him, making his stomach lurch oddly. That had never happened before.

Before he could get too worried about it, Billie and the Professor appeared behind them, hands intertwined and urged them forward. The four travelers moved as quietly as possible through the sewers, following the signal on the Professor’s sonic screwdriver. There were so many twists and turns, the Doctor soon realized even he could easily get lost down in this maze.

“We’re lost,” Josie sighed, echoing his thoughts.

“We’re following a signal,” the Professor scolded from up ahead, “we can’t get lost.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “Then we’ll get lost on the way back.”

“Stop it,” the Doctor said at the same exact moment as Billie.

“How is it, every time we’re in the middle of some life-endangering moment, two of us always start bickering?” Billie asked distractedly.

Silence fell over the four as they slunk around another corner and were hit with a wave of foul odor far surpassing the normal sewer stench they were all getting used to. Josie made a gagging noise and promptly pulled her shirt up over her face. Billie covered her mouth and nose with her hoodie sleeve, muffling the disgusted noises coming up her throat as well.

“That…that is foul, that is,” the Doctor pointed out unnecessarily, ignoring Josie’s eye roll.

A large vault-like door came into view as they moved slowly forward. It was cracked slightly, allowing a bar of flickering artificial light to fall over the ground. As they drew closer the smell intensified, confirming that it was wafting out from somewhere inside.

“Oh, I’m gonna be sick,” Josie muttered from inside her shirt.

“Me too,” Billie nodded, moving back to stand with Josie further away.

Sighing the Doctor looked at the two humans. They really did look more green than usual. He couldn’t really blame them. Even he felt a little nauseated by the smell. A glance at the Professor assured him of his agreement.

“Billie, you have your torch, yeah?” the Professor confirmed.

The brunette clicked the pocket-sized device on.

“Good,” he motioned them further back. “Stay over there till we’re done.”

“Oh thank God,” Josie sighed, hurrying back a few more steps along with Billie until the smell was more manageable for them.

“Don’t wander off,” the two Time Lords scolded. It was always necessary to remind these particular humans of that rule, even if they rarely listened. That way they only had themselves to blame if they got into trouble.

The Doctor followed his brother into the rancid room, glancing over his shoulder to be sure the girls hadn’t moved an inch. He turned back to find himself in Spartan living quarters. A bedroll was made up along the far wall and a small coffee table along the other. A chest probably containing clothes stood at the end of the bed and old yellowing pictures adorned the walls. But what really caught the Doctor’s attention was the flesh colored bundle lying in the middle of the room.

“Oh, what are you?” he whispered, crouching down next to it. He carefully lifted a piece as the Professor began to sonic it and discovered it did in fact have a fleshy feel to it. Curious, the Doctor bent his head and quickly licked the bit in his hand, causing his brother to sigh in exasperation. It seemed no one approved of his new ‘oral fixation,’ as Billie called it. Smacking his lips, he hummed thoughtfully, “A shape shifter, definitely.

“We knew that already,” the Professor scolded, moving to gaze at the pictures tacked to the wall. He pulled a couple off and shoved them in his pockets.

“From Coraterral,” the Doctor continued as if no one had interrupted. “Sheds his skin like a lizard and becomes a whole new man. Explains the smell too. It’s the–”

“Chemicals that they excrete in order to peel off their skin. Yes, I know,” the other Time Lord rolled his eyes. “Let’s go before he gets back.”

The words had barely left his mouth before dual screams of terror ripped through the air, freezing the blood in their veins. Immediately, they both bolted for the door, slamming it out of the way. They froze in shock at the scene before them. Billie’s torch rolled across the dirty ground, the light bouncing off the walls. No other sign of life could be seen.

The girls were gone.

* * *

The stench that had been drifting out from that room was really intense now, almost like it was right under her nose. Josie jerked awake, dry heaving as she battled back the bile threatening to rise in her stomach. Luckily she hadn’t eaten much. She groaned, raising her hand to nurse her pounding head. It came in contact with something moist and sticky on her forehead. Blinking confusedly, she brought her hand back down only to see the dark red liquid pooled in her palm. Immediately her stomach heaved again and this time she let the vomit flow, leaning heavily against the nearby wall.

Hands suddenly appeared, holding back her hair. Thinking it was the Doctor or Billie (both were always willing to help her out, no matter what) she allowed them to comfort her until she got her stomach under control. Shaking slightly, she turned in her crouched position, a thank you on the tip of her tongue, only to reel back in shock. The man sitting on his knees beside her was not the Doctor. He had long black hair and dark eyes. And, okay, he was a little handsome. Tall and chiseled, wearing a crisp white button down and tight black trousers. He looked kinda like a pirate actually.

“Shhh,” the man hushed, reaching out to caress her face. She flinched away and he sighed. “Come now, Carmen. Don’t be like that. You should know I could never harm you.”

Ignoring the mistaken name, “Oh yeah! Then what’s this?” She gestured to her bleeding head, trying her best not to think about the blood dripping down her temple.

“An unfortunate accident,” he shook his dark head. “I wish you had not fought me. But I understand that you did not recognize me. As with when we were on stage.”

She shook her head, confused, “Wait, that was you?”

He chuckled, “Of course!”

Suddenly a thought occurred to her, “Billie! What have you done to her?”

“The female is fine,” he assured her, standing and moving to the side to show her the unconscious form of her friend.

“Oh my God,” Josie gasped and hurried over, cradling the brunette’s head in her lap. There was a dark nasty looking bruise on the left side of her face that appeared to be swelling. “What have you done to her?” she repeated angrily.

“She fought me when I came for you,” the man explained calmly, as if it didn’t matter. “I am glad to see you have made such a strong willed comrade. I am sure it was a great aide in keeping your spirits up when those men took you. If you’d like, she may stay on as your lady’s maid.”

Josie couldn’t say anything. She just sat there, holding onto Billie’s limp form and gaped up at the man who was obviously terribly confused.

“Do not fret, Carmen,” the man said in what was probably supposed to be a soothing voice, but only served in making her shiver in fear. “I will not let any more harm befall you. It is my duty to protect you and avenge you to those who would enslave you.”

With that he turned and walked out of the wooden door across the room, the lock clicking audibly into place, leaving Josie alone as panic started to swell up in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She clutched her friend tighter to her, praying that the Doctor could find some way to get them out of here. And quickly.


	23. Skin: The Gypsy Girl

After the initial mandatory panic and terror, the Professor stopped, taking deep breaths that did little to calm him, and thought through the situation. Clearly the shape-shifter took Billie and Josie (those girls really were trouble magnets) but why? There was no reason to take two defenseless females. Unless he was angry about Josie trying to stop him earlier. The Professor groaned. Of course. He had come for his revenge or some nonsense like that, and no doubt Josie would put up a fight. And Billie wouldn’t just stand by and allow it to happen either. In the short amount of time that they knew each other, Billie and Josie had grown to be great friends. Friends who would do just about anything for one another.

Including trying to beat a shape-shifting alien intent on kidnapping one of them.

Swearing colorfully, the Professor closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift out momentarily. He normally didn’t condone using telepathy to find people. It felt like an invasion of privacy even briefly brushing against their minds. But this was different. He was so attuned to Billie’s mind from all those months of training her own abilities that it no longer felt wrong, but utterly naturally. Like reaching out to take her hand when they strolled along a market on some alien planet.

He could feel the dark purple aura of her mind lingering in the air around him. She must have been terrified to leave such an obvious trace. Slowly he reached out until he found the faint pulse of her mind. She was injured. Not badly, but enough to knock her out for a while and make her aura dim.

Growling, he motioned the Doctor to follow. Whoever had done this to Billie was about to see why the Professor was called the Destroyer Of Worlds.

* * *

Josie shivered as the cold finally managed to seep through her sweater. Billie had on (as usual) a much warmer, yet less attractive hoodie, but Josie couldn’t make herself take it from her. Sure Billie was unconscious and wouldn’t know the difference, but it was just wrong to take your best friend’s jacket when they’d just been knocked out by some strange man that was holding them hostage. Wasn’t it? Hold on, _Billie_ was her best friend? When had that happened?

She shook her head. Her thoughts had been bouncing all over the place for the last five minutes. It kept her from really settling into a panic attack, but was starting to make her feel a bit like the Doctor, rambling on about nothing and everything.

Suddenly the door flew open, banging on the wall behind it and the man rushed in, panting.

“We must go,” he said hurrying to drag her to her feet. “Now.”

“But,” why was it so hard to think of something to say now of all times? “But what about Billie? I won’t leave her.”

“There is no time, Carmen,” he hissed, gripping her shoulders tightly and shaking her. “You must forget about her. It is our only chance.”

She looked him dead in the eye, “Okay, that’s it. Listen here, bub. My name is not and never has been Carmen. It’s Josie.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Anger flashed in his eyes and before she had time to react, his hand came up and he backhanded her across the jaw. She fell to the ground with a cry as pain erupted across her face. Her teeth had sunk into the inside of her cheek, causing blood to fill her mouth. She spat some out, cringing at the metallic taste on her tongue.

Glaring up at the man, Josie rolled to her feet. He reached down to grab her arm again but this time she was prepared. Shifting her weight, she took hold of the wrist holding her and used it as leverage to flip the man over her shoulder. She quickly ran to Billie, not looking back, and desperately tried to wake her again.

“Billie!” she shook her friend’s shoulder hard. “C’mon Billie! It’s time to go!” Swearing she realized Billie wasn’t getting up anytime soon. Instead, Josie grabbed her arm and ducking down, wrapped it around her shoulders. She was going to have to haul the girl’s limp form out of here.

Before she could straighten, she felt the heavy force of a boot connect with her spine. She cried out as she and Billie tumbled in a heap back on the ground. She turned to see the man back on his feet, staring angrily down at her.

As the man reached down probably to “punish” her some more, the door banged open a second time and she looked up to see the Professor’s tall frame filling up the doorway, fury rolling off him in waves. A half step behind him, gazing into the room was the Doctor, looking equally pissed. His brown eyes landed on her and she could see even more anger curling his lip in disgust.

“About frickin’ time you got here!” she grumbled as loud as she could. Her cheek was still bleeding pretty badly, making it difficult to talk.

“Get away from them,” the Doctor hissed, eyes narrowed at the man still hovering close to Josie.

The man slowly stepped away, eyes trained on the two imposing figures in the doorway. The Time Lords began to inch around the room toward the girls. Josie half turned to check on Billie. The brunette was sprawled where she’d fallen on the stone floor. She looked just as she had since they’d been thrown in this room.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Josie saw the man lunge to the left, diving behind a couple crates in the corner. She whipped her head around to see him emerge with a long shiny sword. She really, really hoped that was just a prop from the theater. With a war cry, the man ran forward, sword pointed straight at the greatest threat in the room. The Professor dodged the attack as the Doctor threw himself at Josie, causing her to fall over Billie. He stayed crouched over them, shielding them with his body. Automatically, her hand latched onto his arm for comfort as she peeked over his shoulder at the fight behind them.

She looked just in time to see the Professor ducking as the man swung again and bolting forward. One swift movement had the man’s wrist in the Professor’s iron grip. The Time Lord twisted his arm, making the man cry out and drop the sword with a clatter. The Professor punched him and he fell back on his ass. Quickly, the Professor placed a heavy booted foot on the man’s neck to keep him down.

“Now,” he said calmly as if there wasn’t a man clawing at his boot as he slowly lost the ability to breathe. “Are you gonna play nice, or do we need to put you in timeout?”

The man stopped struggling, placing his fists at his sides.

“Good boy,” the Professor nodded, removing his boot and taking a step back as he lifted the sword. He placed the point on the ground, folding his hands on the hilt, and glanced at the three in the corner, completely ignoring the coughing sputtering man in front of him. “Everyone alright?”

“Yeah,” Josie promised as the Doctor moved off her. “Billie’s been knocked out, but I think she’s alright.”

“Doctor?”

“Right,” the Doctor turned to Billie, running his sonic over her face a couple times before nodding. “She’s fine. Slight concussion, but easy enough to take care of back at the TARDIS.”

The Professor briefly closed his eyes, releasing a deep sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes again, they were like ice, frozen solid as though he refused to show any emotions besides rage. He turned back to the man on the ground, who was now glaring up at him.

“We know what you are,” the Professor told him calmly, just a small underlying threat in his voice. “What are you doing on Earth? And what did you want with Billie…and Josie?”

Josie rolled her eyes. Had he really just almost forgotten her? She had been the one the man wanted after all. Billie had just gotten dragged along while trying to help her. And her mind was babbling again. She shook her head to focus on the conversation.

“You took her,” the man growled. “You had no right. She belongs here.”

“What are you talking about?” the Doctor stood and went to his brother’s side.

“She is _my_ Carmen. Mine! And you took her from me! Without her I am nothing!”

“I am not Carmen!” Josie yelled, standing in her anger. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she yelled, “I am not yours, nor have I ever been! These are my friends! They didn’t take me from anyone!”

A groan sounded behind her, distracting her. She spun around to see Billie start to stir, a hand fluttering up to her head as she groaned again. Josie knelt down, laying a hand on her friend’s shoulder. The brunette looked up through bleary eyes.

“How do you feel?” Josie asked quietly.

“Like I’ve been hit by a bus. Twice,” Billie muttered, shifting carefully into a sitting position, one hand still pressed to her temple. The Doctor appeared beside them, helping Billie sit against the wall.

A loud thud and shuffling on the ground had them whipping around again. The Professor had been distracted with Billie waking up and allowed the man to sweep his feet out from under him. He now lay sprawled on the floor while the man held a dagger tight in his fist over him. The man looked over to Josie, his eyes sad as the Doctor shifted, blocking the girls from view. Josie was peering over the Time Lord’s shoulder, holding protectively onto his arm again.

“Without you, I am nothing,” he repeated in a dead tone.

“No!” she yelled, realizing what he was going to do.

It was too late. The man had plunged the dagger deep into his chest. Crying out, Josie buried her face in the Doctor’s shoulder, trying desperately to erase the image of the man killing himself but it was no use. It was burned onto her retinas by now. The Doctor turned, wrapping his arms around her and tucking her under his chin. He rubbed her back and murmured soothing words to help calm her.

Sometime later, she forced herself to look up, giving the worried Doctor a small smile before turning to her other friends. She refused to glance at the dead form across the room. The Professor was kneeling in front of Billie who looked shaken but calm enough. They were whispering quietly to one another, and though she couldn’t hear the words, Josie could hear the comforting tone the Professor was using.

“You okay?” Josie asked when Billie finally made eye contact with her.

She shrugged, “I suppose. You?”

“Been better.”

Billie snorted, some of the tension in the room dissipating.

It didn’t take long after that for the guys to decide to wait until after they made it back to the TARDIS to deal with the dead alien body. So they quickly helped the girls to their feet and, after making sure Billie felt well enough to walk home, headed out the door of what turned out to be a sort of dungeon in the sewers below the theater.

Trudging through the murky water in the sewers, Josie scowled ahead of her. It was going to be a long night of wandering down tunnels, trying to find the way back to the TARDIS. All she wanted was a nice hot bath and her big fluffy bed, not rats and stinky toilet water.

“What I don’t understand,” she said after a long quiet moment, “is why he wanted me? And who the hell is Carmen?”

“I can answer that,” the Professor smiled, digging in his jacket pocket until he pulled out what looked like old pictures. “I found these in Stinky’s man cave back there.”

He handed the yellowing paper to Josie and she immediately frowned down at them. In her hands were three very old photographs of a woman dressed in rags. One of them had her dancing in the street, another in front of a campfire cooking, another laying back on a hill stargazing. The most amazing part, however, was that this woman looked _exactly_ like Josie, right down to the left eyebrow that lifted slightly at the end.

“There were a few others there, all of that woman,” the Professor continued. “He musta seen you, thought you were her, and figured we took you from him or something.”

“I wonder what happened to her,” Billie said thoughtfully.

The Professor shrugged, “No idea. There was no sign of her besides the pictures anywhere around here.”

Josie handed the pictures back to the Professor who shoved them back in his pocket without second thought. They all lapsed into silence, continuing on down the sewer line in, hopefully, the right direction.

“Now I kinda know how Christine felt,” she blurted out, not really sure where that thought came from.

“Huh?” the Doctor asked beside her, throwing an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm.

“Phantom of the Opera,” she explained.

Billie, who had been walking in front holding tightly to the Professor’s hand in case she got woozy from the blow to her face, paused to turn and raise an eyebrow at the redhead. Josie stopped as well, looking at her friend. Suddenly both girls exploded into peals of laughter, the noise bouncing off the metal walls of their tunnel. She felt much lighter as she linked arms with her fellow prisoner and continued on, leaving two very confused aliens behind them.


	24. Lost In Translation: Heartbreaker

Jack leaned seductively on the bar as he flirted with the bleach blonde in a tight garnet dress. A thousand years after its invention and half a galaxy away from Earth and women still bleached their hair. It was unattractive, but Captain Jack Harkness rarely thought about that if they were willing to spend the night with him. Anything for momentary gratification.

He turned away to take a sip of whatever alcohol had been set in front of him, catching a glimpse of the door where new arrivals were slowly trickling in. A pair of the most gorgeous women stood out amongst the rest like diamonds surrounded by coals. What in particular made these women stand out, he couldn’t tell. By all rights they seemed like most of the other women circulating the room. In fact one of them especially looked like she could fade away into the background as easily as the other could grab anyone’s attention.

They were relatively the same height, short but not unconventionally so, the brunette wallflower about an inch shorter. The redhead wore a sleek, formfitting, emerald halter gown with a plunging neckline. Her hair was falling stylishly around her shoulders in thick waves. She walked tall with a smile that welcomed anyone to come and talk with her. The moment she stepped in the room, heads turned and she loved it. The brunette was wearing a more classic black number with only one shoulder. Her long hair was unnaturally straight, hanging down to the middle of her back. She was smiling as well, but in a more subdued way, like she was happy to be here but really wasn’t one to socialize often.

And yet it was the brunette that held Jack’s attention the most. Not because of her obvious beauty, or demure manner, but from the fact that he knew her. Oh, he didn’t _know_ her know her, at least not yet, but that was the face that never left his memory. She was the one to show him the possibility of a future that didn’t involve womanizing, or the Time Agency working him to death then messing with his memories. A future he desperately wanted.

He hadn’t gone looking for her after their brief encounter in 1941, even if he had wanted to. Years of time travel experience taught him the hard way that you had to let events unfold the way they were meant to. So he had followed his instinct and quit the Time Agency the moment his commitment was up and moved on to better things. Things he could be proud of.

After quitting, the Agency had dropped him off in twenty-first century England and told him not to interfere with established events. He had read up on all the current affairs while living in London for a few years. When he heard about creatures from all over the galaxy and different eras appearing in Cardiff, he knew what he had to do. While traveling in that insane blue box, he along with the Time Lords had found the Rift in time and space during an epic ‘save the world from aliens’ type of battle. So it was safe to say he knew why those things were appearing, and how to fight it. He moved to Cardiff practically the next day and put up a base under Canary Warf where the Professor and Doctor tended to stop for pit stops occasionally. Might as well keep a look out for them while he was there.

Over the next few years he had assembled a sort of ragtag team. Ianto Jones, best coffee maker in England and the one you can count on for anything, be it saving your life or giving you a shoulder to cry on. Toshiko Sato, best damn techie he’d ever met, rivaled only by the Doc and Teach as far as Jack was concerned. Owen Harper, masterful doctor, perfect aim with a firearm, and sarcastic son of a bitch. And the newest addition to their fucked up family, and the reason he was on this lovely vacation half a galaxy away from home, Gwen Cooper.

That woman was bad for his reputation. She made him soft, weak. Somehow she’d crawled under his skin from the moment she followed him back to Torchwood after a case and he couldn’t get her out of his head since. And she was engaged, for Christ’s sake!

Which was why he wasn’t entirely surprised when the pretty brunette walked into the ballroom of some fancy palace on Elspadorse V. The first time she had shown up, he’d been struggling with himself and his position in the Time Agency and she’d helped him by giving him a small happy glimpse of the future. Maybe she could help him through his struggles again.

The bleach blonde had wandered away during his mental dilemma, and the brunette’s friend had wandered away to chat up some guys on the other side of the room, leaving him with the perfect opportunity to go talk to her. He wondered when in her timeline she was. Would she recognize him?

He was halfway to her when another figure emerged behind her, placing a hand at the small of her back. She smiled up at the leather clad Professor and they moved further into the room, disappearing into the crowd. Disappointed, Jack went back to the bar to keep an eye out for her, determined to talk to her. At least he knew she was with the right Professor. She _had_ said she knew him for several incarnations. It wouldn’t do to come in too early.

Half the night went by before he spotted her again. She was mindlessly wandering, staring blankly at all that surrounded her, not seeming overwhelmed, just in awe. Jack moved swiftly to her side in time to stop her from crashing into a waiter holding a tray full of drinks.

“Careful,” he said catching her around the waist to stop her from stepping back. “Don’t want to cause an accident,” he said smirking down at her as the man gave him a ‘God bless you’ kind of look.

She tilted her head back to look into his face. There was no flicker of recognition, no teasing from before, no “Sparrow.” There was however an adorable blush and quick step out of his arms. So this was before they met. Actually this was probably the way they met, he corrected. He smiled even wider at her as she collected herself.

“Thanks,” she still had a slight South London accent. “I should probably watch where I’m goin’.”

“Probably.” He couldn’t stop grinning. She was so adorably shy, glancing around like she was searching for a way out. He held out his hand gently, not wanting to spook her, “Captain Jack –”

“Sparrow?” she asked, finally looking directly in his eyes, amusement sparking in her own.

He wanted to laugh. Was that how she got his nickname?

“Excuse me?” he said still grinning stupidly, he was sure.

“Sorry,” she said laughing. “I was watching a movie earlier, and the way you introduced yourself…”

“Ah,” he nodded, smirking a little. His flirtatious side was coming out, even if he didn’t want it to. He moved in closer to her, surprised when she held her ground, only raising an eyebrow at his forwardness. Where was all that bashfulness from before? “ _Pirates of the Caribbean,_ right?”

“Right,” she said slowly, eyeing him carefully as he leaned in a little more. “Again, sorry for interrupting you. You were saying?”

He took her hand in his, “Captain Jack Harkness.” He kissed her knuckles softly, causing her to give him an incredulous look.

“Billie Jean Smith,” she said, tugging her hand back. She didn’t even try to hide it when she wiped the back of it on her skirt, making him chuckle.

“Billie Jean Smith,” he said slowly, trying out the name. It suited her, somehow. “Kinda rolls of the tongue don’t it?”

There was amusement in her eyes again, “So I’ve been told.”

The big band started to play Glenn Miller. Some things never die, Jack thought fondly. He smiled at the woman before him who had turned to the band as well, “Dance with me?” This was the first time he’d ever formed that sentence as a request and not a demand.

She eyed him a moment before smiling softly, “Well, this is one of my favorites.”

He led her out to the middle of the dance floor and spun her around once before taking her in a traditional hold. She smiled as they stepped in a small circle to the slow comfortingly familiar melody. He couldn’t help it; he flirted shamelessly as they maneuvered around other couples. She seemed much more relaxed now, laughing at him and wrinkling her nose. She had even smacked him in the arm a couple times, calling him a pervert.

“Honey,” he told her, “You don’t know the half of it.” As she laughed he dipped her back over his arm.

This was nice. Harmless flirting that he knew wouldn’t lead anywhere, while enjoying the company of someone he wanted to get to know better and utterly relaxed around. He felt, despite his flirting, that he could be himself with this woman and she wouldn’t judge him. They lapsed into companionable silence as the music swelled into another slow number.

“Something weighing you down, Captain?” she asked gently, giving him a look that clearly stated he didn’t have to tell her if he didn’t want to. Which was exactly why he wanted to.

“I’m in love,” he finally admitted out loud. She raised her eyebrow as if daring him to say it was her. He smiled, squeezing her hand encouragingly, “She’s engaged to someone else.”

Her eyes softened, sympathy washing over him like a balm as she placed her head on his shoulder, “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

He held her tighter, like a lifeline, “That’s why I came here. To forget.”

“To drown yourself in booze and women,” she guessed, her tone making clear her disapproval of his actions.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I suppose you could say that.”

“And how’s that working out for ya?” She moved her head back to look him in the eye.

He sighed, “Not so well.”

She gave a sad smile, “I’m sorry.” And she meant it. She had just met him, but she was sorry for his troubles, wanted to ease them. It was clear as day in her eyes. It was enough to ease some of the hurt he’d been carrying around for so long now.

On instinct, Jack leaned forward, placing his forehead on hers, “That’s alright. I’ll survive.”

She wrinkled her nose, “You should live, Jack. Not just survive.”

He chuckled, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-four. Why?”

He shook his head, smiling again. “You don’t sound it.”

She smiled, “I’ve been told that too.”

The music changed to a faster song and he asked if she wanted to dance again. She shook her head, “I’m not really one for the faster ones. And I really should be finding my friends; they tend to overreact if I disappear on them for too long.”

“Overprotective?” he asked grinning. The Time Lords were always protective of their companions, but they’d never worried if they wandered off before. It seemed Jack wasn’t the only one to feel a strange sort of connection to Billie Jean Smith.

She chuckled, “You could say that.”

“Well then,” he offered her his arm, which she took laughingly. “Let’s go find your friends. Wouldn’t want them to worry.”

They walked the dance floor and almost immediately found the woman Billie had entered with. The red head smiled at him suggestively, and he couldn’t help but return the favor.

“Josie Stewart,” she said holding out her hand boldly. So different from Billie, but in the best possible way.

He took her slender hand, her fingers dwarfed in his, “Captain Jack –”

“Sparrow?” Josie asked with a smirk. Billie cracked up laughing.

“You too?” he said shaking his head.

The girls shared a look before turning to him with identical smirks, one he himself had worn many times. Josie and he got along very quickly, falling into an easy flirtatious relationship. Billie took her leave the moment she saw this, saying she would be back. Assuming she was off to find the Professor, Jack was complaisant enough to ask Josie out to the dance floor.

Two fast songs and a waltz later, and the Professor came barging over, tearing the two apart. Jack was on the verge of professing his innocence in dancing with one of his companions when he noticed the look on the alien’s face. His stomach dropped. Something was wrong, and going by the controlled fury and utter horror rolling off the Professor, it had everything to do with Billie.


	25. Lost In Translation: The Library

She had never met a man more charming and ridiculously flirty than Captain Jack Harkness, or Sparrow as she’d silently dubbed him. And yet she never really felt uncomfortable around him. Sure, at first she’d been embarrassed about her almost causing a scene by being her usual klutzy self, but he’d quickly put her at ease. Even when he was flirting with her, she hadn’t felt very shy, just amused. It was more like he was trying to make her laugh than get her into bed.

And then he’d opened up and told her about his troubles and she felt her heart break for him. She had never really been in love, let alone lost that love to another person, so she couldn’t really understand what it felt like, but the look in his eyes when he’d told her she was engaged to another men nearly made her weep.

Billie had been so caught up in someone else’s pain that she almost completely forgot that she was supposed to meet back up with the Professor soon. She had purposely taken him to Josie, knowing the two would meld together seamlessly and hopefully lift his spirits a bit while she went to calm the most likely close-to-panic Time Lord.

Naturally, while making her way around the room, she was too focused on locating the Professor to pay attention to where she was walking, thus making her walk straight into someone’s back.

“I am so sorry,” she said quickly as the man turned to see what the disturbance was. She looked up to see the pale purple face of a humanoid with silvery almost hypnotic eyes.

He studied her a moment before smiling slightly, “That’s quite alright, my dear. Accidents do happen.”

“Yeah and they seem to be happening to me in spades today,” she muttered under her breath.

“Pardon,” he chuckled.

She shook her head, “Nothing. Just, I’m sorry I bumped into you. I was looking for someone and was distracted.”

He nodded, “Ah, I see. Well as an apology, I demand only one thing from you.” His tone was serious but his eyes twinkled a little in the light. Vaguely Billie could feel something pressing against her mental shields. It was too weak to get through so she ignored it focusing on the problem at hand.

She had learned from experience that some aliens had very weird customs, like holding hands was a sign that you were betrothed. Josie had smacked the Doctor so hard for that one, Billie almost thought his head spun around a couple times. So she was a little apprehensive to just agree to this without hearing what exactly this man wanted.

“And what is that?” she asked in as light a tone as she could muster.

He smiled, showing a row of yellow teeth. She hoped that was normal for his species and not just bad hygiene. “Tell me. What do you think of my home?” he asked making a sweeping motion toward the large ballroom.

Billie’s eyes widened, “This is your home?”

He laughed, “Yes, of course.”

“Sorry,” she shook her head, “I just…I’ve never seen someplace this big be someone’s _home_ before.”

He continued to smile at her. The presence in her mind pushed at her shields again and this time she pushed back, trying to focus on her host.

“You like it then?” he asked.

“It’s very beautiful. I can’t imagine what it’s like living here.”

“I manage. The library is my true refuge here.”

She perked up immediately. She couldn’t help it. Just mentioning a library in her presence was like dangling catnip in front of a sleeping tom. “A library?”

His smile widened, “You are fan of the written word as well?”

“Very much,” she said enthusiastically. “Oh, if your ballroom looks like this, I can only imagine what your library looks like.”

“It is quite extraordinary,” he nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. “Would you like to see it?”

Billie chewed on her lip. Of course she wanted to see it. The question was, _should_ she go? It was dangerous to just follow some random alien alone while the only people who could protect you were in the middle of a rather loud party and weren’t likely to hear you scream. But the man seemed honest enough, friendly and open. She glanced back at the party, suddenly wishing she hadn’t left Captain Jack with Josie. His presence with her would at least make her feel safer.

She felt something pushing at her mind again, more forcefully this time, and she pushed back with all her might, sending the presence flying away. Decided she shook her head, ready to turn back to the revelers when a firm hand gripped her wrist and another slammed a cloth over her mouth and nose. She inhaled a bitter chemical and tried to pry the hand off.

“Shh,” the host’s voice whispered in her ear. His hand on her wrist went round her waist, holding her against his chest and preventing her from being able to fight back at full capacity. “It’s alright, love. Just calm down. Deep breaths.”

She continued to struggle, despite the slight haze to her vision. The presence was back, pushing at her mind. Luckily since being back in the TARDIS Billie had been able to practice strengthening her shields, and the ship was always in the back of her mind, helping her, so the consciousness merely prodded at her, searching for a weak point that didn’t exist.

The man was dragging her away from the crowd, which didn’t seem to notice them at all. In fact they seemed to be steadfastly looking away like they _couldn’t_ look into the dark corner of the room where a woman was being abducted. Several things clicked into place in Billie’s mind.

“Come along now, darling,” the man whispered. “Just sleep. Everything will be alright. I’ll be here when you wake.”

 _Oh, that’s comforting,_ Billie thought bitterly as her vision swam and her mind grew foggy. She couldn’t call out for help telepathically without letting the presence slip into her mind. She couldn’t call out physically because of the bruising force the hand used to keep the chemical soaked rag to her mouth. The man had too strong a hold on her body for her to fight back, especially with her slowly losing the battle to stay awake. Her final assessment: she was royally fucked.

* * *

There was a soft velvety cushion under her cheek and a light weight covering her body. Whatever she was lying on was very comfortable, soft enough to sink into but firm enough to support her. Shifting to get more comfortable, Billie wondered where she was on the TARDIS. Her bed didn’t feel like this, and neither did the jump seat in the console room. She’d fallen asleep on pretty much every piece of furniture in the whole library and knew for a fact she wasn’t there.

Suddenly, at the thought of the library, the entire evening flooded back to her, ending with her kidnapping. Gasping she jerked up into a sitting position, dislodging the soft blanket someone had placed on her. She was sitting in a large rectangular room with multiple stories filled with bookshelves. It was so large she couldn’t even see the three walls she wasn’t near. An obnoxiously ornate fireplace stood nearby with a fire cracking merrily, warming the room. Or at least this area. She doubted the heat could reach much further than the settee she had been placed on.

“Well as far as prisons go, I’ve been in worse,” she sighed to herself.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” a male voice called from behind her.

Startled, Billie shot off the sofa, nearly tripping over the blanket and spun to see the man who’d taken her standing calmly with his hands clasped in front of him.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” she demanded. He would probably ignore it considering what he’d just done, but it was an automatic reaction for her when someone scared her like that. One the Professor and Doctor discovered multiple times a day, though they normally got a smack to go with it. As it was, Billie didn’t want to go anywhere near the man in front of her, let alone close enough to smack him.

“I apologize,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“You…you didn’t…” she stuttered. Was this man for real? “You didn’t mean to frighten me? You kidnapped me!”

He shook his head, staring at her curiously, “I didn’t kidnap you. I was simply trying to weaken the shields someone has placed in your mind so that we could perform the bond.”

“No one has put shields in my mind except myself since I was nine-years-old,” she growled then froze, something he said finally sliding home.

His eyes widened, “You are telepathic? Oh, but this is fantastic news! I was afraid someone was invading your mind. But now we can perform the bond without any delay.”

“Bond?” she asked, her voice raising an octave. “What bond? What the hell are you talking about?”

“We are to be bond-mates,” he explained with a small amount of confusion. “You have already agreed.”

“Putting aside the fact that I have no idea what the hell a bond-mate is, I never agreed to anything!”

“Oh but you did,” he said passionately. “I told you I demanded one thing as your apology. You said you liked my home, couldn’t imagine being able to live here. You wanted to see the library so much you were practically vibrating with excitement. And rightly so. Isn’t it marvelous?” He turned to take in the whole room and she took a few steps back, putting more space between them.

“You’re twisting my words around!” her voice was shaky. She really, really hoped the Professor noticed her absence soon and came looking for her. “I never meant anything like this.”

He turned back to her, growing very serious, “But it is what it means to my people. You have entered a contract with me, and breaking that contract is punishable by death.”

Tears blurred her vision as she sank to the ground, a sob catching in her throat. She had no choice. Her only hope now was that her two crazy Time Lords found her in time to stop all this. _Please let the Professor be close._


	26. Lost In Translation: Connected

_How the hell does she always end up kidnapped?_

The Professor grumbled to himself as he moved out to the hall. The Doctor, Josie, and Jack (where the hell had _he_ come from anyways) decided to ask around the party to see if anyone saw where their pretty brunette companion had wandered off to, not quite believing that she’d been taken like the Professor claimed.

But he was sure of it. He could practically feel her mind reaching out to him for help. Of course, he couldn’t very well tell them that now could he? Not when he wasn’t supposed to have that strong of a connection with Billie’s mind. Sure it was normal to have a small one considering he had taught her how to use her telepathy and in so doing had been in and out of her head since she was nine. But now, when she was twenty-four and fully capable of enforcing her own shields, he should have very little if any connection. And he most definitely should not feel her calling to him from a great distance.

He had felt it before, during their numerous adventures. The slight brush of her mind when she was frightened or excited. And, in all honesty, he had welcomed it. Unlike most telepathic communications since after the war, which had become painful and made him cringe just at the thought of someone seeing into his broken guilty mind, Billie’s mind felt warm and inviting and familiar. It felt like _home_. Nothing – not even the TARDIS – had given him that feeling. Ever. In his life.

So whenever Billie subconsciously reached out mentally to him during adventures, when she had nightmares, or when she was just too lazy to put up blocks against him, he had joyfully opened his mind up to her wanderings and inadvertently created a shaky sort of bond with her. He wasn’t entirely certain of what it meant. It wasn’t a marriage bond, but it was something more than fraternal. It most definitely wasn’t parental. He shuddered at the thought. He could never think of Billie as his surrogate daughter, even when she was a child. It wasn’t a teacher-student thing either. That had been the minimal contact they had when she was nine. Now it was deeper, had more meaning. There really were no words to describe the bond he shared with Billie.

Whatever it was it allowed him to know she was scared out of her mind, but prevented him from telling any of his other companions. The Doctor really did see Billie as a little sister he needed to protect and Josie had a sisterly-friendship with her as well. Hell, even Jack seemed to be falling into a protective brother role after only knowing her for a couple hours at most. (Which was really something he’d look into later.) He was on his own for this one.

People (mostly the local aliens) were still milling about in the hall, forcing him to sonic his way into an rarely-used (if the dust was anything to go by) office. He relocked the door behind him and, with barely a glance at his surroundings, leaned against the large wooden desk. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and tipped his head forward as he concentrated on reaching out to Billie.

It wasn’t very difficult to locate her mind, somewhere in the west wing of the mansion. He could tell she felt his presence as her emotions immediately perked up. Sending her waves of calm and reassurance, he promised nothing would happen to her, that he was coming to get her. Her mind immediately relaxed, the purple aura growing lighter as she calmed. They both felt calmer as their minds intermingled, joining as one. He may not understand how or why or what, but there was no denying how _right_ it felt to be so united with her.

Sighing, he opened his eyes, keeping part of his mind still connected with hers as he straightened, rolling his shoulders as he sauntered out of the office and back out to the crowded hall. He navigated the maze-like mansion easily, guided by Billie’s mind like the north star leading him home.

* * *

Jack could tell the Professor knew something. The alien had said Billie was in trouble, but didn’t say how he knew. The Doctor (who looked _really_ good in this new incarnation) was adamant that she had probably just “wandered off again,” but even he looked a little worried, immediately tugging Josie away to talk to some of the guards and guests. The Professor had disappeared in the crowd soon after.

As much as he wanted to believe that she was alright, something in his gut told Jack he needed to find the Professor. He was the best chance they had on finding Billie. Because really, a blind man could see that there was something special between the Time Lord and the human girl. Jack wasn’t sure what, but as soon as they found her, he intended to find out.

Catching a glimpse of leather amongst the black tuxedos and colorful silk and velvet gowns, Jack followed the alien out to the hall, keeping a good amount of space between them so as not to get caught. He caught up in time to see the Professor slipping into an office.

Now for the part he hated most. The waiting game.

Jack milled about, chatting lightly with a couple people as he waited for his friend to emerge again, all the time wondering what the hell he was doing hanging about an office when Billie was in trouble.

Finally the Professor surfaced and immediately began maneuvering around guests as he marched down the hall. Jack had to jog to keep up with his long strides. Whatever happened in that office clearly helped the Professor pick up on Billie’s trail. A small grin formed on his lips as Jack realized the Professor seemed much more eager than normal to find this particular companion. More observations to file away for later.

Suddenly the Professor stopped in his tracks, sighing, “Jack. I know your followin’ me. Come on out.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Jack whined as he stepped up next to his friend. “I thought I was doing good.”

The Time Lord’s eyes narrowed, “What are you even doin’ here, Jack? And why d’you care about Billie?”

“I promise I will tell you everything,” Jack said sincerely. “But right now, I really think we need to be looking for your lost companion.”

The Professor didn’t hesitate, simply continued marching down the hall in the west wing until they came upon two large oak doors.

“Sonic?” Jack asked when the man beside him hadn’t made a move.

He shook his head, “Doesn’t work on wood.”

He sighed, “Of course it doesn’t. Alright, give me a minute. I’ll pick the lock.”

The Professor suddenly went rigid, his eyes glazed over a second before pure fury burned behind the icy blue. The Professor was gone, the Destroyer of Worlds was here.

“We don’t have a minute,” he growled just as a muffled scream came from the other side of the doors. Taking a step back, the Professor kicked out, hitting the door with just enough force to send it flying inward.

“Professor!” a woman cried from inside, relief obvious in her tone.

Both men rushed in to find a male humanoid with purple skin coloring, attempting to force Billie down onto a chaise near the fireplace. She was putting up a good fight and was obviously stronger than she looked, keeping him at arm’s length as she tried to pry herself out of his grasp. He looked up, lip curled at the disturbance, only to blanch as he saw two very furious men standing in the doorway.

“Get Billie out of here,” the Professor growled.

Jack nodded once before rushing forward. Billie had already slithered away from the man, using his distraction to make it around the furniture and half way across the room before Jack could make it to her side. As he ushered her out the door, he visually assessed her for injuries. Her cheeks were tear-stained, make-up running, and her hair was more tangled than it had been earlier. Her shoes were missing and her skirt was ripped, but there didn’t seem to be any physical injuries that he could see.

It wasn’t until they made it out the door and halfway down the hall that Billie tipped her head back to look at him. She had easily tucked herself into the crook of his arm when he first reached her, clinging to him like he was her lifeline, but now she stepped back, confusion lining her features.

“Jack?” she whispered, voice hoarse. How long had she been screaming for help? He shuddered at the thought of why she would be and fought the urge to pull her protectively against him again. “What…I don’t understand.”

He grinned half-heartedly at her. She was kinda amusing when she was confused. “I used to travel with the Professor and the Doctor.”

“Oh.” She blinked up at him for a few minutes before allowing herself to curl up against him again. “Okay.”

“Too tired to care?” he asked chuckling.

“Yep.”

A few minutes later the Professor appeared again, walking quickly out of the room. When she saw him, Billie immediately launched herself out of Jack’s arms and into his. The couple stood for a moment simply embracing and murmuring a few words of comfort to each other. Oh yeah. Something was going on there. Jack eyed his old friend. This regeneration seemed harsher than the others, more distant. Except with a certain brunette it seemed. When she came around, his eyes softened, a small smile tugged at his lips (despite the fact that she’d almost potentially been raped), And the tense line of his shoulders relaxed until he seemed like a whole new man…again.

The two turned and made their way back to where Jack leaned against the wall. He smirked, “So! Just another day for Team TARDIS, huh?”

Billie laughed, a light carefree sound that oddly clashed with her stained cheeks, “What?”

The Professor groaned, rolling his eyes as his arm tightened around her shoulders, “Don’t ask.”

Jack winked at Billie, earning a glare from the Time Lord and an eye roll from the human.


	27. Lost In Translation: Hakuna Matata

Jack stood humming _Moonlight Serenade_ as he filtered through his small duffle, looking for a change of clothes for after his shower. Of course, if he really wanted to, he was sure the TARDIS would be happy to provide him with his favorite style of clothing. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had already restocked his dresser and closet already. The light hum around him confirmed his theory. Man, it was good to be back.

“So you gonna explain why you’re so interested in my companion?” a harsh Northern accent asked behind him.

He turned to glance over his shoulder. The Professor was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed and scowl firmly in place. Jack turned back to picking out a white tee and sweats to sleep in, “Before you go there, I have no interest in sleeping with Billie.”

“Really?” he sounded suspicious.

“Really. She’s off limits.”

“Yes, she is,” the Professor agreed. “I’m just surprised I didn’t have to tell you that.”

Jack sighed, turning to sit on the edge of his bed. He thought through his words carefully before speaking, ignoring the pointed glare of the alien in his doorway, “I first met Billie when she was nine, during the London Blitz.” The Professor raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. “She was scared and cowering in an alleyway. I could tell she was out of her time by her clothes, and at the time, as a Time Agent, it was my job to see how she got there and if I could, send her back home. But when I approached her, she uh…punched me…in the groin.” The Professor chuckled, grinning from ear to ear. Jack rolled his eyes, “Anyway, she took off and then…well you showed up. I mean this you. And an older Billie. The one I just met tonight, actually. Well, a future version of this one. She looked about the same age, but I’m sure it’ll be awhile before she can go back.”

There was a pause as the Professor put the pieces together, “Circular paradox,” he said quietly to himself before addressing Jack again, “So this version of me and Billie showed up, then what?”

Jack chuckled, “I tried flirting, naturally, and well…I believe her exact words were ‘ew’. Just the way she spoke to me, I could tell she would be important to me in the future, but not in a way I was used to. It changed the way I looked at a lot of things, including my own life.”

The Professor’s eyes had softened, understanding taking the place of suspicion, “She made you want to be better.”

“You too huh?” Jack grinned.

They stood in companionable silence for a while until Jack scraped together enough courage to speak what was on his mind. “I heard about the war. The Time War.”

The Professor stayed silent, though his eyes hardened again. His jaw flexed and he turned his head away, looking down the hall.

“I’m so sorry, Teach. I can’t imagine…”

He nodded, but stayed silent. When he did speak again, his voice was rough with suppressed emotion, “Billie and Josie are having a movie night. Their tradition after the more difficult adventures. Whenever you’re ready head down the corridor, turn right, then left, second door to the right. It’s Billie’s personal media room.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, “Since when do we get our own personal media rooms? All I ever got was this bedroom.”

The Professor just shrugged. Jack expected him to make a quick exit now that they were clear on where Billie stood between them, though Jack still hadn’t asked a few questions that burned in his mind about the relationship between the Time Lord and their human friend. But instead the alien hesitated on the threshold, brow crinkled in concentration.

“Teach? Something wrong?”

“No,” the Professor shook his head before sighing. “There’s just something you should know about Billie and Josie.”

“Okay,” he said slowly.

“They’re…special.”

“What, you mean like I am?” Jack smirked.

He rolled his eyes, ignoring the innuendo and answering the serious answer hidden within it, “No, they’re both from the twenty-first century. Humans hadn’t evolved that far at that time.”

“Okay, so what are we talking about here?”

“We’re not sure exactly. Well, we’re not sure _how_ , but otherwise…” the Professor frowned, realizing he had begun to ramble. “Point is, Billie is telepathic and Josie is, for lack of a better term, psychic.”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, “Are you sure?”

He gave the human an “of course I’m sure” glare.

“Okay, that’s…different.”

“Don’t worry. They’re both highly trained so it doesn’t interfere with their lives. I just…we all thought you should know, in case it ever came up.” The Professor shrugged away from the door, “Don’t forget about movie night or Josie will be in here to drag you out, whether you’re decent or not.” He left before Jack could make a dirty comment.

* * *

By the time Jack was finished with a quick shower and changed into more comfortable clothing, he had decided on two things: 1) he really didn’t care if Billie and Josie had weird mind powers. It didn’t change who they were, just gave him a new aspect to think about. And 2) he really, _really_ wanted to figure out what Billie meant to the Professor. Obviously she was more important to him than other companions, but how far did it go? Man, he loved a good mystery.

Following the Professor’s directions lead him to a plain wooden door like any of the others on the TARDIS. It was open a crack and voices drifted out, telling him he had the right room. Carefully he eased the door open more, grateful that the hinges didn’t squeak and give him away. All he wanted was a moment to peer into the lives of the people he had joined, to see their dynamic with one another and see for himself if he was right in thinking these girls were different than the others. (Other than their special abilities, of course)

The room relatively small for a media room and designed like the inside of a cabin tucked away in the mountains. There was even a large picture along one wall depicting a snowy mountain side with lots of trees as though there were a window there. The hardwood floor was covered by a blush cream colored rug in the main area where a white over stuffed couch and mismatched armchairs stood in front of a fireplace with a large flat screen hanging above on the wall. A fire cracked merrily as Billie stoked it with a poker from the hearth where she and Josie had situated, discussing movie choices. Both girls looked freshly bathed, hair damp, and were dressed in comfortable pajamas. Josie was carefully braiding her hair as they spoke while Billie’s was tied up in a messy bun. The Doctor was sitting in one of the armchairs, fiddling with his sonic and generally ignoring everyone except when he occasionally gave his opinion in the girls’ conversation. His overcoat and jacket were gone and his tie hung loose around his neck. The Professor lounged on the couch, his bare feet propped up on the small coffee table that held all the snacks and soda they would need for the night. His head was tipped back, eyes closed, as he relaxed for the first time all day.

In all, Jack thought they all looked very domestic. He smirked. The Professor would surely snap at him if he ever voiced that thought.

Clearing his throat, he stepped fully into the room. The aliens ignored him, while the girls turned to flash him identical grins.

“Hey, just in time,” Billie said, getting up to stretch out sore muscles. “I think we finally settled on a first choice.”

“We have?” the Doctor blinked up comically at the human as she maneuvered around him and plopped down beside the Professor.

“Oh, yes,” Josie grinned. The Doctor handed her a large pillow from the chair and grabbed another for himself. The two laid down side-by-side on the ground, Josie’s feet kicking in the air.

Realizing they were all getting into their favorite spot, Jack quickly chose the armchair closest to him. That way he could watch the movie and still study his friends if he so wished. As the lights dimmed and the television flickered on, Jack watched as Billie laid out on the couch, head cushioned by the Professor’s thigh. The Time Lord’s hand automatically started playing with her hair, while the other arm stretched out along the back of the couch over her. Glancing down Jack saw Josie leaning toward the Doctor, whispering something in his ear that made him chuckle and playfully tickle her.

A groan from the couch cut through his thoughts. Jack looked up to see the Professor making a disgusted face.

“ _The Lion King_? Again?”

“Shut up you,” Billie chuckled as the _Circle Of Life_ began to play.

“You guys watch this a lot?” Jack asked, smirking.

“It is one of their regulars,” the Doctor said, smiling from his position on the floor. The Professor rolled his eyes, but smiled as Billie and Josie began singing along to the music and laughing at themselves when they could recite every word of the script.

Jack sat back in his chair and enjoyed not just the physical warmth of the room. These people cared about one another on a level he was only just starting to grasp with is team back home, and they opened up and let him sit amongst them like he belonged there as well. It was that warm fuzzy feeling he hadn’t had much in his life, and he prayed to whatever deity was listening that he could hold on to it for as long as possible.

He sighed, propping his feet up on the coffee table to get more comfortable. Yep. It was good to be home.


	28. What A Wonderful Life: An Important Date

Joshua Watson leaned against the bar, leather clad elbows bracing him as he hunched over the shot of whiskey sitting in front of him. His cousin (on his mother’s side) was off somewhere being the center of attention, as per usual, leaving him to nurse his drink by himself. He wouldn’t have it any other way, really. He had come back from the war a broken man, even more antisocial than when he left. People just didn’t understand that after seeing and doing the things he did, things like parties and women didn’t seem to matter much. Hell, most days he had to convince himself to go to work let alone go out at night.

“I’d know that scowling face anywhere,” a teasing voice sounded from behind him.

Oh hell. Like he didn’t have enough problems. Swallowing the burning alcohol in one gulp, Joshua turned to glare at the man courageous enough to interrupt his brooding.

Standing before him with movie star good looks, was a man that, unfortunately, Joshua knew incredibly well. Having served in Iraq together, he and Jack Harkness had saved each other’s lives countless times. There was no one Joshua trusted more, and no one that irritated him more.

“Captain,” he said turning back around as the bartender refilled his glass.

“It’s Detective Inspector now,” Jack drawled, plopping down onto the stool beside the older man. “How’ve you been General?”

“Professor,” Joshua corrected, taking another swig from his glass only to have it immediately refilled again. “Been better.”

“What’s the matter Teach?” Jack teased, nudging his neighbor with his elbow.

“You know what’s the matter,” he growled.

Jack sighed, “Yeah. Sorry.”

He shrugged, taking another swallow of liquor. They sat silent, both men wrapped up in their own thoughts.

“Jack Harkness!” a voice cried out.

Jack turned and grinned, “John Smith! Long time, no see.”

Joshua’s tall, lanky cousin had crept up behind them unnoticed. Jack stood to embrace the man he had only once met briefly. At least to Joshua’s knowledge. Then again, he didn’t exactly keep tabs on the two men, so maybe they did strike up a friendship. Not that it mattered.

He downed another glass.

John’s manic smile never faded as they went through the usual civilities of people who hadn’t seen each other in ages. Brown eyes cut to the brooding man hunched over the bar and he dropped his voice so Joshua wouldn’t overhear. Of course he heard every word.

“You talk to him?” John asked lowly.

“I just got through the door John,” Jack scolded. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

He sighed. Joshua could see him through the mirror above the bar, running a hand through his hair nervously. “It’s not getting any better. In fact I think it’s getting worse. I’m starting to think…What if it’s PTSD? I’m at a loss on how to help him if he doesn’t want it. You two were always quite close while serving. Maybe you could talk to him.”

Jack snorted, “If he’s willing to talk to someone I doubt it’s gonna be me, John.”

“Would you two stop talkin’ ‘bout me like I’m not here?” Joshua growled, tired of their coddling.

John sighed, “What else was I supposed to do, Josh?”

“First off, don’t ever call me Josh,” he warned, tipping more liquor down his throat. “Second, I can take care of myself.”

“Yes that’s quite clear,” John said narrowing his eyes at the now refilled whiskey glass.

“Jack!” a female voice interrupted. It was only a matter of time really. Jack had always been a playboy, and Joshua thought it strange that they had lasted this long without the man having a woman throw herself at him. Or a man. Didn’t really make a difference to the attractive DI. However, he didn’t have the reaction Joshua was used to seeing when a woman called to him. Normally, he’d be all smiles and charm, turning up the flirt for the chance to crawl in between the sheets with a lovely woman and/or man. Instead, Jack visibly flinched, muttering, “What did I do now?”

He turned to see who could cause such a reaction to his longtime friend only to find his breath catch in his throat and his eye bug out embarrassingly. Standing with her hands on her hips, tapping one delicate high-heeled foot, and glaring angrily at the now sheepish-looking Jack, was the most beautiful woman Joshua had ever seen. His gaze moved from her simple black heels, up well toned legs, over the sleeveless little black dress that stopped just above her knees and accentuated her full figure wonderfully, to finally land on her face. Her full red lips were pressed into an angry line, cheeks flushed with rage. Soft brown hair was pulled back in a twist, a few tendrils escaping to brush against her pale skin. His breath somehow managed to hitch again as his gaze found hers. Brown eyes were darkened with fury, but still held a softness that said she would never actually act on it. She reminded him of a furious kitten staring down the neighborhood dogs for poking around her yard.

Joshua felt some irrational urge to reach out and pull the small woman close and tuck her under his chin protectively. He wanted to take her away and keep her all to himself. He scowled. When had he started thinking like that? Who was this woman to have such insane, instantaneous power over him? And how the hell did Jack know her? That thought made him even more irrationally furious at his friend. He didn’t want Jack to have her. He wanted her.

What the hell was wrong with him?

“Jeanie,” Jack smiled weakly, obviously knowing he was in trouble, even if he didn’t know why.

“Oh no,” the woman pointed a finger accusingly at him. “Don’t you ‘Jeanie’ me.”

He sighed, slouching down onto the stool beside Joshua, “Okay, what did I do?”

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes flashing dangerously. Joshua felt a chill run up his spine. His scowl deepened.

“Really?” she asked incredulously.

“What?”

“ _Really?_ ”

“ _What?_ ”

“Jack,” she said slowly, as if talking to a confused child. “Look at me. I mean, _really_ look at me.”

Jack paused to take in the woman’s appearance before breaking into a genuine smile, “Hey, you look nice! What’s the occasion? You never dress up.”

She raised an eyebrow at him again, crossing her arms expectantly.

Little by little, Jack’s expression fell into one of horror and understanding lit his eyes, “Oh! Oh no!”

“Finally,” she muttered, deflating a little. She shifted on her feet, her shoulders relaxing now that Jack had remembered whatever he was supposed to.

Were they together? Had they had some sort of special date planned tonight? Thoughts ran unwanted through Joshua’s mind making him silently curse himself and down another glass of whiskey.

“I can’t believe I forgot!” Jack cursed soundly, making the woman roll her eyes.

“Not all that surprising, really,” she shrugged. “This is, what? The fifth event you’ve missed?”

He flinched, struggling to pull on his 1940’s vintage greatcoat, “How mad is she?”

She sighed, shaking her head, “She’s not.”

Jack froze, one arm of the coat still halfway off, “What? That’s impossible. I didn’t arrive _early_ last time, but arrived right on time and she was _still_ furious.”

She gave him a look like he’d just dribbled on his coat, “She wasn’t mad that you hadn’t arrived early. She was mad that you arrived _drunk_ you idiot.”

Jack smiled sheepishly, “Still though, I figured…”

“I told her you called and said you were having car trouble so I had to come an pick you up,” the woman admitted, her eyes much softer now that most of her anger seemed to have ebbed away. Joshua couldn’t help but feel even more drawn to her.

Jack looked at the woman like she was an angel sent down from heaven and Joshua was forced to bite back a growl.

“Really?” he smiled. When the woman nodded, Jack lunged forward, picking her up by the waist and swinging her around. She squealed and laughed, apparently all ill will between them forgotten. Jack set her down, both chuckling and glanced back at his friends. “Oh, sorry. Billie, these are my friends Joshua Watson and John Smith. Guys this is my sister, Billie Jean.”

With four words, the tension Joshua felt building in his shoulders eased and he was able to relax against the bar as the woman, Billie Jean, turned smiling eyes on him and his cousin. Though he couldn’t help but notice she lingered on him longer. John stepped forward, shaking her hand and enthusiastically babbling away about nothing in particular. The poor woman looked like she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

“Right, well,” she said turning away from the lanky man. “We should be going.”

“Right,” Jack nodded before something in the back of the room caught his eye. “Five minutes.”

“Jack,” she warned but he had already disappeared in the crowd. She growled low under her breath and stomped forward to collapse on the stool, immediately kicking off her shoes with a sigh. Joshua raised an eyebrow and she smile sheepishly, “I hate heels.”

“Then why are you wearing them?” he asked reasonably.

“Not by choice,” she smiled up at him, tilting her head back to see him properly. He was sure his heart shouldn’t stutter like that. “My sister owns this posh art gallery and forces Jack and I to tag along to all the big events. Apparently flats aren’t nice enough to wear around the snobs that flock there.”

He chuckled, highly aware of his cousin gapping at him. It had been a long time since Joshua had shown an interest in a woman and even longer that he actually sincerely laughed, even if it was just a small rumble of a noise. She smiled at him again, oblivious to the fish impersonation John was doing beside them.

“I’ll go find Jack for you,” John said when he finally snapped out of it.

And they were alone. Sort of. If you didn’t consider the other patrons. Joshua suddenly felt nervous, shifting in his seat. The bartender meandered closer to them, smiling when he saw the pretty brunette.

“Hey Billie, I didn’t expect you to come in on a Tuesday.”

“Just trying to drag my brother out, Steve. I’ll be gone before you know it.” She smiled at the man, “How’s Carol and the girls?”

The bartender grinned and immediately launched into a detailed description of his daughter’s dance recital. Billie nodded and laughed and gave encouraging comments in all the right places. Who was this girl? She not only knew the bartender by name, but his entire family as well? He couldn’t help but study her as she said farewell to the older man and he wandered off looking a lot more chipper than he had the whole time Joshua had been sitting there.

She looked up to see him staring. She blushed delicately but didn’t lower her gaze from his, “What? Do I have something on my face?”

He shook his head but didn’t say anything. They continued their staring contest for a few minutes until John and Jack materialized beside them, both smirking knowingly.

“Hey,” Jack dragged out the word suggestively. “I’m ready to go. Unless of course you’d like to stay?”

Billie gave him a look that clearly said she thought he was an idiot and slid off the stool. Without a word, she reached over and picked up Joshua’s full glass of whiskey, tipping her head back as the liquid scorched down her throat. She set the glass back down, not even wincing at the fiery liquor. She patted his shoulder as she turned to lead her brother out. Wide eyes followed her. That would have been impressive even for a man. Most of his old army “buddies” couldn’t even stand the strong alcohol he preferred. And here was this small delicate woman drinking it as if it were nothing but a cup of tea.

Jack grinned, “Why don’t you two come along? You can keep Billie awake.”

“Oi!” the woman in question paused a few feet away, turning back to scold Jack. “I did that one time and only because I hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours!”

Laughing at their banter, John shrugged on his overcoat, “Why not? Nice to get a little culture in now and then. You coming?”

Joshua glanced at Billie through the mirror, but she was too busy arguing with Jack to notice. He looked down at his empty glass, realizing it now had a lipstick stain on the edge.

“Nah,” he finally answered. “Doubt they’d let me in.”

John frowned, but years of experience told him not to argue when his older cousin (more like a brother really) got like this. “Fine. But meet us afterward? Jack says they always head to a diner around the corner after one of these events.”

Joshua shrugged, “Maybe.”

That was the best answer they could hope for. Clapping his cousin on the shoulder, John turned to followed the Harknesses out. Joshua called the bartender, Steve, over for a refill. He most definitely did not watch the slight sway of Billie’s hips as she walked out the door.

No, he did not.


	29. What A Wonderful Life: Tea Party

Why? Why had he caved to John’s pestering texts and come to this godforsaken diner? He glanced up from glowering at the sidewalk as laughter drifted over from down the street. Oh yeah. That’s why. Apparently he had some sort of weird weakness when it came to Billie Jean Harkness. Again he asked, what the hell was wrong with him?

Fighting the logical part of his brain that insisted she was just another woman and he should either go back to the pub to finish getting pissed or home to pass out, Joshua walked across the street where a diner dressed up to imitate 50’s America stood like some sort of beacon to late night London drunks. As he watched two said drunks wobbled out the door and wandered down the road as his group approached from the other side. He could spot John’s messy mop of brown hair, leading the way with a stunning redhead on each arm, laughing at his joke. One was tall and leggy in a dark burgundy long sleeved dress under a black coat. The other wore a tight modern western style dress colored red at the bust and the skirt was black. She too wore a black overcoat. She was shorter than the other and more curvy. Behind the trio was a man scowling at the back of John’s head. He was slightly shorter than the men in the group but taller than the women, with dark hair and a prominent nose. A half-step behind him was Jack chuckling at the man’s scowl and Billie hugging herself and shivering in the crisp wind. She was the only one without a coat. Joshua frowned at that. You’d think Jack would be better at taking care of his sister.

As is sensing his thoughts, Jack glanced down at Billie and frowned, “You sure you don’t want to borrow my coat?”

Billie rolled her eyes, “It’s fine Jack. If one of us has to be cold, it may as well be the idiot who forgot their coat. Besides we’re almost there.”

“Joshua!” John’s call made Billie and Jack snap to attention, turning to greet the newcomer. “Didn’t think you’d come.”

He huffed, “Wouldn’t ‘ve. You wouldn’t leave me be.”

“Let me introduce,” John grinned, ignoring his cousin’s ire. “Amelia Pond,” he motioned to the woman in the burgundy, “her fiancé Rory Williams,” the scowling man nodded once, “and Josie Harkness.”

The other redhead smiled and waved cheerfully, “Nice to meet you.” She glanced through the window of the diner. “Oh everyone’s already here. Let’s go Amy.”

The two gingers and the fiancé hurried into the diner, leaving the others in the dust. John pouted, “Well that was a bit rude.”

Joshua rolled his eyes before he got distracted by Billie glaring through the window at the group gathering around two tables pushed together. Along with the three that had just walked in there was another, slightly older ginger woman, a black man, an Asian woman, two brunette men, and another brunette woman. They were all joking and laughing with one another as they tried to sort out the seating arrangements. It seemed no one wanted to squeeze back into the booths near the window.

“Don’t worry,” Billie practically growled and Joshua had to bite back an amused smile. She was really adorable when she was annoyed. “She left like that to avoid me.”

“Why?” Jack glanced up at the window and nodded. “Oh. Right.”

“Why does she always do this?” she whined.

“Do what?” John asked curiously.

Billie sighed and turned to head inside, completely ignoring the question. Both newcomers turned to Jack for an explanation.

“That man there,” he nodded to the black man who was lounging in one of the booths, eyes locked on Billie as she greeted the others, “is an old schoolmate of Billie’s. Unfortunately he’s always had a bit of a crush on her. Can’t take no for an answer, either.”

Jack didn’t elaborate as he hurried inside to intervene before the man could corner his sister. John shrugged and followed, leaving Joshua to scowl at the dark figure in the window alone. For some unknown reason, his stomach was in knots at the thought of that man making passes at Billie. He felt a need to protect her, or rather to tuck her under his arm and glare at the man until they all knew she was his. He sighed in frustration over his own erratic emotions. This was going to be a long night.

Inside the diner was warm and smelt of chips and burgers. The group was finally settling down into seats. Billie had crawled back into the booth across from the black man as he frowned and motioned for her to come over to his side. She shook her head and he made to move over next to her. Moving quickly, Joshua slid past Jack and sat down next to Billie.

“You mind?” he asked politely, though there was no point. Even if she did he wasn’t goin to move.

Luckily she smiled gratefully up at him and shook her head.

“Who’re you?” the black man growled.

“Oh right. Sorry,” Jack said calling attention from where he sat with the brunette woman perched in his lap. “This is my friend Joshua Watson and his cousin John Smith.”

Everyone greeted them quickly before dissolving into multiple conversations. The ginger he didn’t know smiled at Joshua, glanced at where Billie was now giving her order to a bleach blonde waitress over the back of the booth, and mouthed “thank you” at him. Not entirely knowing what she was talking about, but willing to guess it had something to do with the pouting idiot across from him, he nodded in return.

* * *

Billie was eating _a lot_. When the two waitresses had come out to serve their large group, Joshua had no idea three plates would be for her alone. He was only having a burger, chips, and a beer (thank God they served alcohol here), but the petite woman beside him had a burger, chips, union rings, a side salad, and a chocolate milkshake.

At his raised eyebrow she shrugged, “They only serve fancy finger food that tastes like the wrong end of a cow at the gallery. I’m hungry.”

He chuckled, “Obviously.”

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before diving into her rather large burger. He felt eyes on him as he followed suit, but studiously ignored them. He knew what he’d see. John grinning like a buffoon just because Joshua was finally opening up a little to someone, and a woman no less. Jack would probably be watching cautiously, glad that he was getting over his usual gruff mannerisms, but not wanting to see his sister hurt. The others were probably wondering who he was and why he’d attached himself to Billie’s side. And even he had to admit, he had attached himself. He wasn’t going to budge until she requested it. Yep, there was definitely something wrong with him.

It wasn’t until after they had finished eating, conversations getting louder and more chaotic as everyone talked over each other, Joshua leaning back in his seat, long legs stretched out as he sipped his beer, that he felt it. First it was Billie jerking away from something under the table. He felt her quick movement and glanced over to find her glaring at the idiot.

“Stop it, Mickey,” she hissed under her breath. The black man just smiled condescendingly at her. Joshua’s hand tightened around his beer bottle, fighting desperately against the instinct to hit the man across from him.

This time he felt it when the foot belonging to Mickey-the-idiot nudged his accidentally before moving over to Billie’s. She slid away and grumbled at him. So the moron was trying to play footsie with her. And clearly she was not in the mood. Well, he could fix that. Casually, Joshua sunk lower in his seat, looking for all the world as though he were bored and trying to get comfortable. His right leg stretched out at an angle so as not to hit the opposite booth, crossing over where Billie’s legs would be if she hadn’t tucked them as far from Mickey-the-idiot as possible. His foot hit a loose shoe and he glanced down to find Billie had kicked off her heels again. He bit back a small smile.

When Mickey-the-idiot’s foot once more traveled the distance under the table, all he encountered was a heavy Doc Marten. Joshua raised an eyebrow as the man pulled his foot away quickly. Mickey-the-idiot turned to jump into some conversation.

The evening wore on. The two brunette men and the Asian woman left after a half hour, followed closely by one of the redheads (he thought her name was Angela or something) and her fiancé. During that time, Joshua had shifted again, leaning forward in order to hear Jack talking to him. Not five minutes after he moved he felt Billie jump in her seat beside him. He glanced down at her, finding her glaring daggers at the oblivious Mickey-the-idiot.

Alright, that was it. Tired of the constant disruptions, Joshua decided to make it impossible for Mickey-the-idiot to bother the girl. It may be crossing a line, but if it made the night a little more peaceful, then so be it.

Reaching down, Joshua hooked his right arm around both of Billie’s calves and pulled them up over his thighs, forcing her to turn in the seat until her back was pressed against the window. She let out a little squeak of surprise, but otherwise didn’t object. He sat back in his seat, relaxing and sipping beer as his free hand absentmindedly rubbed the silky skin of Billie’s calf. He couldn’t help but feel a little smug when Mickey-the-idiot started scowling at him. He just stared right back.

Billie squirmed a little, distracting him from his stare down (which he was winning, by the way) and forcing him to glance down at her, “Alright?”

She gave a small smile and reached for her almost gone milkshake, “Fine. Just trying to reach for this.”

He pushed it into her reach and she thanked him.

Abruptly, Mickey stood and, grumbling an excuse under his breath, fled the diner. Everyone fell silent as they watched him disappear into the night.

“You sir,” the older redhead (he couldn’t remember a name) said from the other end of the table, “are my new favorite person.” She tipped her drink to him in a salute before polishing it off.

“Donna,” Billie scolded, though her laughing ruined the intent.

“What?” she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “You gonna tell me he hasn’t been bothering you all night? Or that Joshua there hasn’t been deflecting his advances?”

Billie stayed silent, frowning at her friend.

“That’s what I thought.” She stood, gathering her things as she went. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. Early day tomorrow.”

More of their group trickled out until finally Joshua looked up, surprised by the silence and found that only he and Billie remained. When had his cousin and Jack gone? Had he really been that lost in thought that he hadn’t noticed the entire table leaving? Billie seemed just as lost, staring off into space with a blank look on her face. He glanced at the clock. Damn! It was already almost two in the morning!

Squeezing Billie’s lean calf had the desired effect of having her blink and focus on his face. She smiled slowly before glancing around.

“Um, where did everyone go?”

He chuckled and shrugged, “Suppose they left. It’s almost two.”

Her eyebrows shot up and she turned to the clock, “Holy…”

“We should go,” he said, easing her legs off his with only a small amount of remorse. Or so he told himself.

She sighed and nodded, calling the waitress over for their part of the bill. The others having paid before leaving. His stomach sunk at the thought of watching her walk away from him. For some strange reason, he really didn’t want to leave her. She just seemed so perfect beside him. Like she belonged there, as corny as that sounded.

They stepped out into the chilly night air and Billie shivered violently, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. Remembering she hadn’t brought a coat, Joshua shrugged out of his beloved leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders. His jumper wasn’t very thick but it would keep him warm enough for a while. And besides, her dress was thin and didn’t even have sleeves. Poor girl would probably freeze to death before he could get her into a cab. She tilted her head up and smiled brilliantly at him. His heart leapt into his throat, choking him a bit.

“Thanks,” she said, still smiling widely. “I don’t live far, but it is rather cold.” She hesitated, glancing down the road as she chewed her lip. She looked back up at him, anxiety rolling off her in waves. “Walk me home? I don’t much care for walking ‘round this neighborhood at night by myself. Normally Jack walks me, but I guess he forgot.”

He grinned and nodded. Any excuse to keep her by him a little longer. God, he was pathetic.

They meandered down the road in comfortable silence. A few thug-looking guys were lingering on the streets, but didn’t bother them. Joshua found most people tended to stay away from him. Something about his rough appearance kept people from approaching him. He had never been more glad about that than at this moment. Only once did a couple adolescents wandered too close as they continued their heated argument, not even noticing the other pedestrians. Joshua instinctually threw an arm around Billie’s shoulders, drawing her close. She fit perfectly in the crook of his arm. He didn’t want to let go. So he didn’t. And she didn’t push away.

They made it to her apartment building a few blocks away and she dug in her small clutch bag for her keys. After locating them she turned to look up at him, pulling his jacket off and handing it to him, “Thanks.”

He simply nodded, pushing his arms back into the jacket. He took a deep breath and smelt what was unmistakably vanilla, cotton candy, and undertones of something earthy that he was sure was her natural scent. He inhaled again, just to savor the intoxicating aromas.

She was about to turn to unlock her door when he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. Her big brown eyes gazed questioningly at him.

“Can I call you sometime?” he asked, fighting back the nervous butterflies battering his stomach and the voice in his head telling him he was an idiot.

She smiled her widest, most joy-filled smile he’d seen that night, “Of course.” Reaching into her clutch again she pulled out an iPhone, asking for his number. After putting him in her contacts, she sent him a quick text so he could save her number. Both grinning like maniacs they said goodnight and Joshua turned back down the street, forcing himself not to look back like an idiot.

When he was a good ways down the road, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Jack.

**You forgot your sister.**

The answer was almost immediate.

**No I didn’t.**

**Thank you.**

**Just don’t fuck it up. Hurt her, I hurt you.**

**Noted.**


	30. What A Wonderful Life: Welcome to Mystery

Joshua was sprawled out on his back under his miserable excuse of a car when his cell phone went off. Michael Jackson’s _Billie Jean_ blared out into the otherwise quiet garage. Grinning widely, he pushed himself to his feet and, wiping greasy fingers on a soiled rag, made his way to the workbench against the back wall. This wasn’t the first time the song that Jack had programmed into the device for every time the girl called (he did this with everyone’s phones) had blared, interrupting his day. His smartphone lay abandoned amongst spare tools and odd lumps of metal he hadn’t managed to piece together again yet, a picture of Billie sticking out her blue died tongue at the camera blinking up at him.

That had been taken two weeks ago on the second “official” date (because apparently randomly hanging out together during the day didn’t count) when they went to a street fair and Billie had consumed so much junk food, he was sure she’d be sick later. She hadn’t but the sugar high had kept them both up till the wee hours of the morning.

He smiled softly at the memory. Though they had been dating for a few weeks now, he had been taking it slow with her, not even kissing her goodnight yet. In all honesty, he was a little insecure about it. He just couldn’t see how someone as wonderful as her would want to stick around with a damaged, ex-military, history professor. He was afraid that if he got too attached to her, then whenever she _did_ realize how messed up he was, it would hurt so much worse. So he had let her in while still keeping her at a distance.

Of course she wasn’t fooled. Two nights ago she had showed up at his flat with dinner prepared and pretty much cornered him into revealing his fears. He was sure the moment he let it come tumbling out she would have ran for the hills, but she didn’t. Taking him completely by surprise, her eyes had softened and she’d smiled affectionately at him.

“None of that is important,” she said, referring to his past. At his incredulous look, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, so it is important. It helped you become who you are today, but that doesn’t mean what you saw or did during wartime _defines_ who you are. I promise I will never judge you for anything that happened in your past, during a time when you didn’t even know me.”

He was speechless. Part of him didn’t want to believe her because she didn’t know _exactly_ what he’d been through. If she did, she wouldn’t be sitting comfortably on the couch beside him, holding his hand and leaning into his side like he was her anchor. So he let it spill out. Not everything, definitely not the worst, but some of his experiences were laid out for her as he waited for any sign that she would bolt.

She didn’t. Her eyes turned sad and she switched from gripping his hand to hugging his waist. When he was finished, neither said anything. She didn’t offer pointless condolences or useless comfort, knowing he couldn’t – wouldn’t – accept either. She simply held him, offering silent support as he worked through his emotional turmoil. Finally he shifted, turning do they were laid out on the couch, her body nestled safely between him and the back cushions.

“Thank you for letting me in,” she whispered as they settled in.

He felt relief. He no longer shouldered his burden alone and she wasn’t running. She really accepted everything he was. Baggage and all. His heart sored at the thought even as his gut twisted with worry that he would one day fuck it all up and loose her. It was more than a possibility. It was almost a guarantee.

That night, clutching her to him as she snoozed on his shoulder, he made a vow to try his hardest not to let that happen. The next day, in between classes, he put his plan into action, planning out a surprise for Billie. Immediately after telling her, she began to pester him into telling her what it was.

“Later,” was all he would say, chuckling as he shooed her out his door so he could make sure everything was in order without her eavesdropping.

All things considered, he was fairly certain that was why she was calling now.

“Billie,” he sighed into the phone, waiting with bated breath to hear her voice.

“Is it later yet?” she teased, skipping a greeting entirely.

He chuckled and shook his head. She could be so childish at times, despite her usually more serious disposition. His eyes flickered over to the clock on the wall before answering, “Five more hours.”

She grumbled, “C’mon! Just one hint?”

“Nope. You hafta wait.”

She huffed irritably, “You know, you are evil.”

“Am I?” he chuckled again, leaning back against the workbench.

“Yes! You’ve turned me into some whiny, clinging, chick flick heroine who is constantly nagging her boyfriend. Not cool.”

He swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat as his heart picked up pace, “Boyfriend, huh?”

She sighed, “You know what I mean.”

“Is that what I am?” he asked, ignoring her comment.

She hesitated, all teasing gone, “I don’t know. You tell me.”

A million emotions ran through his body as he thought up billions of replies, but naturally the only thing to come out of his idiot mouth was, “Yes.” He immediately smacked his forehead with the heel of his hand. Could he be more moronic?

“Good.” He could almost hear the smile in her voice.

“Good?” he asked hopefully.

She laughed lightly, “Yeah.”

Silence enveloped them as neither knew what to say. Nothing really needed to be said. Those few words had covered all of his left over insecurities and assured them both that neither one was going anywhere anytime soon.

“Joshua?” she asked quietly, trying not to break the moment.

“Billie?” he whispered back.

“Is it later yet?”

He burst out laughing.

* * *

Rapping sharply on the door in front of him, he shoved his free hand into the pocket of his leather jacket, fingers wrapping tightly around the silk scarf he’d shoved in there earlier on a whim. Billie was either going to be extremely annoyed with him or, if he caught her in one of her playful moods, happy to play along. Hopefully he was lucky today.

The door opened and a blur of brown hair whipped out in front of him, trying to push past him as he held her off with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Let’s go,” she said enthusiastically, practically vibrating with excitement.

Joshua grinned down at her, “One thing first.” He slipped the scarf out from his pocket and watched as her face fell.

“No,” she said sternly, eyeing the silky material like it was going to bite her.

He rolled his eyes and cocked an eyebrow, waiting. She may be one of the most patient people he’d ever met, but he could out stubborn her any day. He hoped.

Finally she sighed, “We’re not going anywhere till I put the damn thing on, are we?”

He smiled widely, “Nope.”

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes but he caught her lips twitching upwards as she fought a smile.

Gently, he lifted the material up so that it covered her eyes and moved forward to tie it behind her head, trying to ignore the fact that she was pressed so firmly against him as he leaned over her. It probably would have been more practical to turn her around, but then he couldn’t have heard her breath hitch as his fingers brushed the side of her neck softly as he pulled away.

He waved his hand in front of her face, looking for a reaction, “Can you see?”

She shook her head.

“Good,” he wrapped his arm around her waist and carefully guided her down the hall. Pausing at the top of the stairs, he scowled. The stairs were not something he had considered, though he couldn’t for the life of him think of why. She lived on the third floor, for Pete’s sake. Of course there would be stairs involved.

Shrugging, he acted on the first thing that came to mind. He couldn’t trust Billie to walk safely down two flights of stairs blindfolded. She could be rather clumsy and he didn’t feel the need to test Earth’s gravitational pull today. Instead, he bent down quickly and looped his free arm under her legs, knocking them out from under her. She squeaked in protest, her arms automatically going around his shoulders for balance as he carried her bridal style down the stairs. She was surprisingly light weight. Not that he’d thought she’d be heavy, but she was almost like a feather considering the amount of food she could consume.

“Was that really necessary?” she chuckled, laying her head on his shoulder. “You could have at least warned me.”

He grinned at her, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead that had her sighing in contentment as he nudged the front door open. Deciding this was too good a moment to drop, he continued to carry her across the small parking lot to his car where he was forced to set her feet on the ground in order to unlock the passenger seat. He guided her in as she stumbled and laughed, and shut the door behind her before loping around to the driver’s side.

“Can I know where we’re going _now_?” she asked as he turned over the engine.

“Patience is a virtue, Billie Jean. One I _thought_ you had,” he grinned though she couldn’t see.

Billie huffed, crossing her arms as she faced ahead, “I do, but it’s wearing thin.”

He chuckled, “Just a few more minutes. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

She nodded, chewing on her lip as she considered his words.

The short drive through London brought them to a large white building with red lettering on the side. Joshua carefully pulled into a free spot in the mostly abandoned lot and hurried out of the car to open Billie’s door for her. Mostly because her reaction was sure to be entertaining, he bent over to unbuckle her before scooping her back up into his arms.

“This is going to get old really fast, Joshua,” she huffed good naturedly while cuddling closer in his embrace. He used his foot to close the door, not bothering to lock the doors. Really if someone wanted to steal the hunk of junk they were more than welcome.

Once inside the building, Joshua gently allowed Billie’s feet to touch the ground again as a portly balding man came out from a side door. The man raised an eyebrow at the blindfold still wrapped around her head, but otherwise didn’t comment.

“Everything is all set for you Professor Watson,” he said in a low rumbling voice, making Billie jump slightly.

“Thanks, Henry,” the door opened again before he could get another word out and a younger, geeky looking fellow came out. His eyes traveled from her oversized Union Jack sweater and faded jeans to the silk scarf covering her eyes. Scowling, Joshua felt a sudden flair of possessiveness. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, keeping eye contact with the boy the entire time.

Smiling understandingly, the boy chuckled, “That’s a nice idea. I should try that with my girl.”

Billie huffed, adjusting the silk, “Please, don’t encourage him.”

Joshua chuckled, giving her a squeeze as Henry and the boy took their leave. Carefully, he steered her down the hall to the door at the end, leading her through before positioning himself behind her.

“Ready?” he asked teasingly.

“Have been for a while now,” she joked, turning to give him a smile.

He pecked her on the cheek and turned her head back so she could see her surprise as he lightly tugged at the knot, letting the silk fall away from her eyes at last.

She gasped in shock, spinning to stare at him wide-eyed, “Joshua?”

He shrugged, shoving his hands (and the scarf) deep in his pocket whilst trying to fight off the smug smile threatening to spread across his face, “You said you always wanted to learn.”

“So you…what? Rented the whole place out just for me?”

Now his smirk couldn’t be stopped. “Sort of, yeah.”

Squealing with delight, she launched herself at him. Automatically he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly against him.

“You’re the best,” she whispered seriously, before pulling away and taking his hand as she trotted happily down the bleachers leading to the ice rink. “C’mon then. Where’s are skates?” She froze suddenly before turning to look up at him, “You do know how to skate right?”

He rolled his eyes, “Course I do. Said I’d teach you, didn’t I?”

She smiled again and he led her to where he had Henry stash their skates before leaving. Also hidden under the bottom bleacher was the remote that controlled the lights and sound system. After helping her into her new white ice skates and slipping into his bigger black ones, he used the remote to turn on his favorite classic rock station on the radio. It wasn’t conventional skating music, but Billie didn’t seem to mind as she tugged on his hand, urging him to take her out on the ice.

She was shaky at first, forcing him to catch her several times before her butt hit unforgiving ice. But once she got her sea legs (so to speak) she was able to glide along beside him almost effortlessly, their gloved fingers intertwined between them.

Soon he became more playful, swinging her around and racing her up and down the rink as she laughed breathlessly. Halfway through a race, Joshua turned suddenly, stopping in the middle of the rink and bracing himself as Billie’s small form collided with him. Her hands fell naturally to his chest as she grinned up at him, giggles still emitting occasionally between them. Her dark eyes were glittering with mirth, her skin flushed with exercise, her hair tumbling down her back in tangled waves. His breath caught. He had never seen anything so beautiful.

Quickly, before he lost his nerve, he ducked his head, gently pressing his lips against hers. Then more firmly as she leaned into him, sighing contentedly. His arms banded around her waist tightly, holding her as closely as possible. He felt himself falling into some sort of haze. He could still feel Billie’s warm body against his, could feel his own reaction to her nearness, but it all seemed to be coming from a distance. A second later, images started flying quickly through his mind.

_Nine-year-old Billie, lost in 1941, where he found her and took her home in his time traveling, bigger-on-the-inside, space craft. But he didn’t have the same face he has now._

_Nine-year-old Billie, wrapped up in a Technicolor coat, running away from him playfully._

_Adult Billie, helping him defeat the Cybermen in the nightclub on Halloween._

_Adult Billie, laughing as he spun her around on the swing._

_Adult Billie, stealing his breath as she emerged in a vintage red gown, ready for the opera._

_Adult Billie, waltzing around an alien ballroom with Jack Harkness while he scowled, definitely not jealous. Definitely._

The images stopped abruptly as Billie pulled away, gasping softly, “Wow.”

He blinked dazedly down at her half-closed eyes, his mind attempting to process everything he’d just seen, “Yeah. Wow.”


	31. What A Wonderful Life: White Knight

Street lights were just flickering on as Joshua led Billie out of the ice rink and down the road to a small Italian restaurant. They walked slowly, simply enjoying each other’s company. Or rather, mostly enjoying each other’s company. Joshua wasn’t completely in the moment. His mind was whirring with all the images he had shoved at him when he kissed Billie. Instinctively, he knew those visions were true, that they really happened. But how? It just wasn’t possible. Right? For some reason, he wasn’t so sure.

A little voice in the back of his mind kept shouting at him, telling him that those images were far more real than the life he led now. But that just couldn’t be true. He had a job, a life, friends, and yeah, a pretty fucked up past, but who didn’t have that? And now he even had a beautiful woman at his side that he was pretty certain he was falling in love with. His brain froze before stuttering back into overdrive.

He glanced down at Billie, who now had her head resting lazily on his shoulder. When had this happened? Yes, he enjoyed being with her and from the beginning he’d felt almost territorial over her, but how could he have fallen so quickly?

She shivered, cuddling closer for warmth as her arms slipped around his waist. His heart beat out an unsteady rhythm as he shivered as well, for an entirely different reason. Oh hell. What did it matter? Those stupid images were just that. Images. Real or not, they couldn’t affect them here and now. Right?

They were just cutting through an alley, when Joshua first suspected that it wasn’t the peaceful night he thought it was. A large dark shadow loomed ahead of them near their exit, unmoving. Joshua slowed, waiting to see if the person would move out of the way. When they didn’t and the space between them was almost diminished, Joshua began to steer Billie back, thinking it would be better just to go around after all. They froze as two more figures appeared coming up behind them. Not good.

Before he could even blink he felt Billie being ripped away from him, her scream echoing in his ears as the two other blokes came at him. He was able to block a punch to his gut a second before he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head, sending him stumbling into the alley wall.

“Joshua!” Billie screamed as he attempted to right himself, only to be knocked down again and again. Down on his hands and knees as one man rifled through his jacket pockets for money and the other prepared to aim another kick to his stomach, he was just able to make out Billie being dragged away down the alley.

Red flashed in front of his eyes, and before he knew it, Joshua was back on his feet, swiftly taking down his two opponents with a few well-placed punches. He heard the crunch of nose and the grunts as the two men fell under his fists. Thank God for military training.

His heart sank when he didn’t immediately see Billie nor her attacker in the alley, but a muffled scream had him rushing back the way they originally came. Sure enough, just around the corner he found Billie struggling against a heavyset thug who had his arms tightly wound around her waist.

_The Professor stood with Jack in the doorway as a purple skinned man tried to force a struggling Billie onto a chaise._

Joshua never paused to contemplate the new image in his head as he stepped up to them and practically ripped the man’s hands off his girlfriend, though he was pretty sure he heard a snap. The man’s cry of pain only confirmed at least a couple broken fingers. As Billie stumbled against him, trying to regain her balance, he felt her hand slip into his inside pocket and pull out the cell phone he’d completely forgot about. Distantly, he heard her calling the police as he squared off with the thug once more.

* * *

One check up with some medics and a quick trip to Scotland Yard later, Joshua was leading Billie back up the steps to her apartment, wondering exactly how the day could have gone so wrong. Billie was even quieter than normal as she trailed behind him, her small hand grasped tightly in his. She unlocked the door for them, stepping aside to silently ask him in. He stood numbly in the middle of the living room with mismatched furniture, listening as she bustled about the kitchen, making tea.

“Joshua?” she called and he had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t the first time she’d called his name. He turned his head to see her coming in with two mugs, steam billowing off the tops. “You alright?”

_“Professor?” Billie’s hand on his forearm had him turning away from the room to blink down at her. “You alright?”_

He sucked in a breath and shook his head sharply, forcing the vision out of his mind. He didn’t want to deal with that right now. He didn’t want to see things from some strange other life he may or may not have had.

“M’fine,” he mumbled, collapsing heavily onto her overstuffed sofa.

“’Course you are,” she said disbelievingly. She set the mugs down on the scuffed coffee table and came to sit beside him. Instinctually, he reached out, hands gripping her hips before she could sit down. She looked down at him questioningly as her hands fell automatically to his shoulders. Tugging her forward gently, he got her to sit on his lap, her legs on either side of his thighs.

“Joshua?” she breathed, her hands traveling up to the back of his neck, fingers messaging restlessly. His eyes fluttered closed as he sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers. When he opened them again to look into her brown orbs, his breath hitched. Pure love was pouring back at him from her soft expression. Never in his life could he remember someone staring at him like that so openly with no hidden agendas whatsoever. Never had someone cared for him so deeply, faults and all. Warmth spread from deep inside him out to all his extremities, pooling deep in his belly.

A low growl rumbled deep in his chest as one hand buried itself in Billie’s hair, tugging her closer until their lips meshed together. Joshua deepened the kiss eagerly, feeling a rush of excitement when Billie made a surprised but happy noise in the back of her throat. But when everything started to feel a little hazy around the edges, he wanted to curse himself. How had he not seen this coming?

_The five time travelers wandered through the shiny metallic halls, trying to find signs of life, or anything else that might explain where they had landed. So far all they found after exiting the cupboard the TARDIS had landed in (the Doctor’s lovely parking skills) was cold metal walls and a few dead-lock sealed doors that not even the sonic screwdrivers could get through._

_The Professor gripped Billie’s hand tightly in his, keeping her as close as possible. Something about the place just didn’t feel right to him, and he wanted her near in case they needed to make a quick getaway._

_Finally the Doctor found a set of double doors that not only weren’t dead-locked, but left unlocked entirely, allowing them to enter cautiously. On either side of the long room were long rows of beds. Some empty, but most had a patient lying perfectly still on their backs. Each person had long, thin, reddish lines marring their skin in random crisscrossing patterns. On closer inspection, their eyes could be seen flickering chaotically beneath their eyelids. Like they were dreaming. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the Professor realized exactly what was going on here, exactly where they were._

_“Professor?” Billie’s hand on his forearm had him turning away from the room to blink down at her. “You alright?”_

_His arms reflexively wrapped around her slim waist to hold her against his side protectively, “It’s the Metamonperlosus. They feed off of the energy of people’s possible lives. Of the lives they wish they had.”_

_“How?” Josie asked, brow furrowing as she gazed down at a small dark skinned woman on the cot in front of them._

_“They make their victims sleep,” the Doctor explained. “Make them live in their most cherished dreams as they slowly die in the real world. Being fed off of.”_

_“Oh God,” the ginger shook her head. “That’s horrible.”_

_Billie clung to the Professor, shuddering at the thought._

_“We need to hurry before they find us,” the Doctor urged, spinning around to find some way to wake the sleepers, only to freeze when he spotted the large pale jellyfish-like creatures floating midair in the doorway, blocking their only exit. The doors slammed shut behind them, locking the travelers in the room._

_“Shit,” Jack summed up the situation nicely._

Cupping her face gently, he held her inches away, both still breathing heavily from the kiss. He stared at her, dark eyelashes creating shadows against her cheekbones, lips swollen and red, cheeks flushed. He had never seen something so beautiful.

“I remember,” he breathed, voice hitching.

What little control he had snapped and he began to sob, tears pouring down his face. Shocked, her eyes snapped open to stare at him in confusion and concern. Quickly she reached up, trying to wipe away the salt water streaking down his cheeks, only for them to be replaced with new ones. She spoke soothing words that only seemed to elevate the problem.

“I remember,” he sobbed, holding her flush against his body and burying his face in the crook of her neck. Without hesitation she held him close, rocking slightly like he was a scared child.

Never in his life had he wanted to be more selfish than right now. All he wanted was the woman wrapped around him. To stay in this false world where he could be human and grow old with her, have lots of babies with her and watch them grow up and have kids of their own. But he couldn’t have that. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he just left all those people to slowly die, including Billie, Josie, Jack, Theta, and himself. And eventually he’d take it out on her, and she’d leave him, just like they all did. No. He had to do the right thing, no matter how badly it killed him inside.

And so, for now, he wept. Held tightly onto the most important thing in the universe – _any_ universe – and cried his heart out. He cried for everything they could have had, for everything they would never have. He cried because even though he knew he would do the right thing in the end, part of him still wanted to just blow it off. He cried because he could have been as blissfully ignorant as the rest of them. But he wasn’t.

“I remember.”


	32. While You Slept: Confession

Joshua (no, the Professor; because he _was_ the Professor. He knew that now) cradled his head in his hands, sitting at the edge of his bed as he listened to _Billie Jean_ play for the millionth time today from across the room. He’d been ignoring her phone calls for the past couple days since his melt down and he was sure he was worrying her more than necessary. It probably wasn’t helping that he was ignoring everyone else as well.

Sighing resignedly, he reached down and picked up one of the beer bottles at his feet, downing the remains before tossing it away with its comrades. He’d gone through several cases the past days and would probably drink much more. It didn’t ease the torment in his head, but getting so pissed he blacked out could be seen as helping. Maybe. Probably not, but it was his only option at this point. He could remember everything that happened in the ‘real world’ not this dream world created by the Metamonperlosus with the assistance of his own secret desires. He knew what he had to do, and he hated it. Hated that he knew he would do the right thing in the end, but that meant losing Billie. Sure, he’d still have dear Billie Jean Smith, the woman he knew and taught as a child. But gone would be Billie Jean Harkness, the woman who loved him and agreed to be with him, to be his girlfriend.

Groaning in frustration, he flopped back down on the bed. The way he saw it, he was in a lose-lose situation. He could stay and have Billie in every way he wanted, but he’d more than likely be tormented the rest of his life with what he knew. Or he could go back and save them all, but Billie would go back to being just a friend he pined after, making him feel like a dirty old man. Decisions, decisions.

The worst part was that he never consciously wanted her until now, and he just knew that thought would never leave him. Even when he returned to being an emotionally distant Time Lord. How could he face her after this?

His brooding was cut short by a loud bang as his front door was thrown open. A moment later, his bedroom door got the same treatment. John stood in his doorway, brown eyes narrowed as he took in the room just as _Billie Jean_ began to play again.

“You’re scaring her to death, you know,” John snapped, moving across the room to scowl down at her older cousin. “Poor girl thought something had happened to you at first. Of course by the time Jack called me, she was on to blaming herself. She thinks she did something to scare you off. Not that she’ll tell us what happened.”

He scowled up at the ceiling, really feeling like an arse now. But how could he face Billie? He doubted he’d be able to keep it together if he were to go see her.

“What the hell’s going on, Joshua?”

He flinched at the name, but continued to ignore the man that should be the Doctor but wasn’t. Not really. Just like he was the Professor, but wasn’t. They were different in certain ways as humans. More relaxed with their emotions.

John sighed, stepping closer to the bed until he was able to grip the other man by the arm and haul him into a sitting position, “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up and then you can explain to me why exactly you’re acting like this.”

After a quick shower, Joshua wandered out in his usual jeans and jumper to find John sitting on the sofa sipping tea. Another cup sat steaming on the coffee table. Sinking down into and armchair close by, he picked up the mug and silently downed half before turning to his “cousin”.

“Why are you here?” he asked quietly, wishing the other man would leave him in peace.

John gave him an incredulous look, “You haven’t been answering your phone. For anyone. Even the school was starting to get worried. I had to make sure you hadn’t killed yourself or something.”

He didn’t manage to fight back a flinch at the last sentence.

John’s jaw dropped as his eyes widened in shock, “You mean…you were gonna…Joshua! What the hell!”

He sighed, leaning back in the chair, “Don’t be so melodramatic, John.”

Dark eyes narrowed, “You were, weren’t you? Why? Why would you do something like that? I thought you were getting better, what with Billie and all.”

Joshua scowled, “This has nothing to do with her.”

“Oh, this has everything to do with her! How do you think she’ll feel if you…” he trailed off, unable to say the words now that he knew them to be true.

“No, it doesn’t.” He sighed in frustration. “If I could, I’d stay with her. Forever. But it’s not an option. Not really.”

“Are you insane? Of course it is! You don’t have to… Just talk to me. Talk to her. Why are you doing this?”

He sighed again, leaning his head back in exhaustion, “You wouldn’t understand.”

“How can I if you never _talk_?” John growled.

“I can’t!” he finally snapped, jumping up to pace the length of the room. “If I go to her, I’ll break down. I wouldn’t be able to do what I need to!”

“And killing yourself is something you _need_ to do? What the hell Joshua! What is wrong with you?” John was on his feet now too, eyes flashing dangerously.

“Yes,” he stopped to face the other man with grim determination. “It’s something I _need_ to do. I don’t have a choice.”

John’s jaw dropped again, staring at his cousin with startling clarity for the first time in a long time. “Shit, Joshua. No. Don’t. Please, just…don’t do this.”

“John there are some things that I have to do whether you like it or not – whether you understand or not. This is one of them. I can’t explain further than that. I’m sorry. It’s for the best.”

Tears welled up in his brown eyes, but didn’t spill over as he shook his head, “No. I refuse to believe this. You dying is not for the best. _Especially_ not like this.”

Joshua didn’t say anything. He was finally coming to terms with his decision. No amount of pleading from the man in front of him was going to change that. In fact, he had the strong suspicion that only one pair of big brown eyes would hold the power to sway him ever again. Hence him avoiding her like the plague.

“What about Billie?” John choked out, as if reading his thoughts. “Doesn’t she matter to you at all? I thought…”

“I love her,” he admitted, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders at the confession while his stomach dropped in dread at the same time. “I think I’ve loved her since the moment I saw her.” That was true for both Joshua and the Professor, though for the Time Lord it had been different at first, naturally. He closed his eyes, fighting off the tidal wave of emotions.

“And you’d just leave her?” he sounded stunned, but at least he’d stopped yelling. “Are you thinking of her at all?”

“Course I am,” his lips twitched in a half-smile. “I’m always thinking of her.”

“And yet you’re still considering killing yourself?”

He shook his head, “I’m not considering it, John.”

The brunette’s face paled. His eyes studied the older man, seeing the acceptance in every line of his body.

“Do one thing for me, before…” he cleared his throat awkwardly. “Please?”

Joshua hesitated. What could he ask of him? But on the other hand, what did it matter? This world was going to shatter soon anyways. So he nodded in acquiescence.

Taking a deep breath, John nodded once, “Talk to Billie first. She deserves at least that much.”

His stomach rolled in dread. Could he do that? Face her without giving in to the happy life she represented? It seemed he didn’t have a choice. John was right. She deserved to hear it from him.

“Alright,” he nodded. “I’ll talk to her.”

John sighed in relief, clearly thinking Billie would be able to talk him out of this. Joshua really hoped he was wrong.

* * *

It was late by the time he made it to Billie’s flat. From the silence on the other side of the door, he guessed she had already gone to bed. Quietly he reached up and ran his hand along the eave of the door until he found the spare key hidden there. He quietly let himself in, allowing himself a moment to adjust to the darkness before closing and locking the door once more and making his way to the back bedroom.

Billie Jean lay curled on her side, lips parted slightly as she slept. Joshua felt a pang of regret when he noticed her cheeks damp with tears and her mobile clutched closely to her chest, his picture still lit up on the screen. She mumbled something in her sleep, shifting restlessly.

Quietly as possible, he slipped out of his boots, tossed his jacket over her desk chair, and slipped under the covers behind her, one arm winding around her waist as he nuzzled the back of her neck. She sighed, cuddling back against him.

“Joshua?” she whispered.

“M’here,” he murmured back, pressing his lips to her temple before she turned to blink up at him, big brown eyes overflowing with relief and worry.

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” he gently brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. “I just had some things to sort out.”

Her eyes shifted nervously, “Are _we_ alright?”

He gave a small smile before pressing his lips softly against hers, “Always. I’m sorry I worried you. Won’t happen again.”

She turned more fully, burying her face in the scratchy wool of his jumper, “S’alright, I suppose. Just don’t disappear like that again, yeah?”

He tried not to flinch guiltily as he wrapped her more fully in his embrace, refusing to answer the question. She didn’t seem to notice, lapsing into comfortable silence as she hovered on the edge of sleep. He stubbornly stayed awake, determined to commit this perfect moment to memory. After all, he’d never be allowed to have Billie like this again, so he may as well enjoy it while he could.

Gathering his courage, Joshua moved far enough away to look down at the sleep rumbled woman next to him, “I have to talk to you about something.”

“Okay,” she answered slowly. Her eyes turned calculating, trying to discover what could have him so nervous and calm all at once.

Raising one hand, he gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone lovingly, “I’m in love with you.” Her breath hitched and he quickly continued before she could answer, “But I have to leave.”

“What?” he never heard anyone so heartbroken before. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. This was even worse than when John found out. “When?”

“Tomorrow,” he decided rashly. He couldn’t stay a day longer if she kept looking at him with those pleading eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to, but I have to go.”

“But… _why_?” Her voice cracked as she began to cry.

He closed his eyes, sighing resignedly. This was the hard part. “I can’t tell you. Just know that it has nothing to do with the way I feel about you. I love you, with every fiber of my being. That will never change.”

Making a noise of distress in the back of her throat, Billie buried her face into his neck. He could feel the cold wet tears against his skin as he fought for control over his own raging emotions.

“I love you too,” she finally managed to get out. “Always remember that.”

“Oh, Billie,” he breathed in her scent, stroking her hair in a soothing gesture, “I could never forget that, even if I wanted to.”

He stayed clinging to her as she slowly drifted back to sleep, nose pressed firmly into her hair. And when she woke up the next morning, he was gone.


	33. While You Slept: Shattered

The Metamonperlosus had made this dream world specifically for the Professor. Everyone else got their own worlds to waste away in. So he wasn’t very worried about how he would go about killing himself. It wouldn’t hurt his companions and it really was the only way to wake up before the Metamonperlosus killed him. Die prematurely by your own hand and you can escape your own mind. At least, he was fairly certain that’s how it would work. He’d never been in this situation, so he wouldn’t know for sure until he tried.

Joshua Watson still had a pistol from his service days tucked away at the back of his closet. It would do.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he calmly cleaned the gun. He couldn’t take the chance of something going wrong. This was the only way to return to reality. Once he was satisfied, he loaded it with a single bullet.

Sitting back a little he stared down at the gun in his hands, trying his hardest not to think. If he thought, he’d think of _her_ and he may give in to his desires.

Finally, slowly, he lifted the gun, pressing it to his temple, finger hovering over the trigger.

“I’m sorry, Billie,” he murmured to the twilit room.

He tightened his grip, and knew no more.

* * *

Sobs wracked her body as she curled into a ball on her bed. As if from a distance she heard a strangled voice over the phone, calling her name, but she couldn’t function enough to answer him. She couldn’t do anything other than lie there and cry. Even breathing was becoming difficult. Turning her face into the pillow, she let loose a bloodcurdling, heartbroken scream that hardly eased any of the tension in her chest. John almost sounded frantic now, she noted, though his words were lost to her.

When she had woke up alone, she’d been distraught that Joshua would just leave, but when John called to tell her his cousin had been found dead in his apartment this morning, the gun still in his hand, she’d fallen to pieces. She was no longer a whole person. Something vital was missing.

How could he have done this? He had said he was leaving, but this? She didn’t understand.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. Her sobs had quieted. Now only silent tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly at her wall. John’s voice had cut off earlier, either from her phone dying or him giving up. She didn’t care. She couldn’t care about anything anymore. She felt numb to everything but the pain radiating from her chest.

Suddenly a face blocked her view of her whitewashed wall. John had dark rings under his bloodshot eyes and tear tracks on his cheeks. She couldn’t remember seeing the happy-go-lucky man ever look so defeated.

A whimper clawed up her scream-torn throat. John swallowed thickly, fresh tears springing to his eyes as he reached out to pull her into a slightly awkward, but much appreciated embrace. She tugged weakly at his shirt as her sobs built once more, pulling him onto the bed with her. He tucked her head under his chin and rubbed her back comfortingly as she fell apart. He didn’t offer any reassuring words, knowing neither of them would believe them.

The bed dipped behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Jack and Josie climbing in with them as well. Jack looked upset, but not nearly as much as her and John. Josie looked a bit shell-shocked. But both were there. Both offered their presence to help hold their sister together. Billie was grateful.

The next few days passed in a blur of the same pain and offered comfort. John, Jack, and Josie all stayed in her apartment with her, making sure she ate, drank, and went to the bathroom at regular intervals. Donna, Amy, and Rory all stopped by occasionally to check up. Mickey was kept away, thankfully. She couldn’t handle him right now. John undoubtedly was making funeral arrangements, but he kept that sort of talk to where she couldn’t hear.

Billie stayed in bed. She refused to leave her cocoon of blankets and tissues. Life outside of it didn’t hold any allure to her anymore. What was the point? The point had been taken away from her.

“Billie,” Josie called quietly, stepping into the room hesitantly. “You have to get up today.”

Silence.

“I’m so sorry, but…the funeral is today Billie. He’d want you there.”

Tears immediately poured down her face again and she had to bite her pillow to stop from crying out.

There was a shuffling around as Josie shifted through her closet. She turned to appraise her sister, holding up two black dresses, only for her heart to stutter and her to cry out weakly. Josie’s head whipped around to her.

“That one,” she said faintly, gesturing to the one on the right. It was the first thing she’d said since she heard the news, and obviously Josie was eager to please, hurrying forward to drape the slightly inappropriate dress over the back of the chair.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, alright.”

Billie nodded, allowing herself to be pealed out of bed and ushered into the connecting bathroom.

It was while she was zipping up the dress that Josie dared to ask, “Why this dress?”

“It’s the dress she wore when we met her,” John’s deep voice said from the doorway as Billie tried and failed to reign in her emotions. She couldn’t wear makeup – it would just be ruined by her nonstop crying – so she looked a right mess. But who was around to care anymore.

John appeared in the mirror behind her, looking just as much of a wreck as her, “C’mon. It’s time.”

She nodded, grateful that John was there to escort her out. She wouldn’t be able to move on her own and she highly doubted her sister could hold her together very well right now.

Later, she wouldn’t be able to remember the funeral whatsoever. She could remember breaking down after only a few minutes, and pitying looks from all the soldiers who had once served with Jack and Joshua. And she could remember when John received the folded up flag, how he turned and handed it straight to her. But she could not, for the life of her, remember actually laying Joshua to rest.

When they returned to the pub to drink in Joshua’s memory along with most of the old military buddies, Billie sat alone in a corner booth, clutching the flag to her chest like her life depended on it. She nodded politely to all the condolences paid by people she neither knew nor cared about until Jack ushered them away to give her a minute to herself.

It was in that moment, sitting isolated in a pub with a dozen or so of Joshua’s old acquaintances that she felt it. The warm press of awfully familiar lips against her forehead, followed by that voice that would forever haunt her dreams.

“ _I’m coming back for you._ ”

Sucking in a startled breath, tears springing to her eyes, Billie whipped her head around to see if anyone else had noticed anything strange. Everyone was clumped in groups, talking quietly and sipping drinks from the bar. Raising her hand, her fingers grazed her forehead. It had felt so real.

A warm breeze began to caress her face and she blinked as her vision blurred. Images began to flash across her mind’s eye as she struggled against lightheadedness.

_“Someone’s here.”_

_“I’d forgotten how intense an untrained telepath can be.”_

_“Call me Professor.”_

_“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”_

_“Satisfaction brought it back.”_

_“Sarah, Billie, this is our sister, Romana.”_

_“I’m telepathic, genius. I heard that.”_

_“How do you know you won’t like it if you’ve never tried it?”_

_“Billie Jean Smith.”_

_“You’ve changed.”_

_“Want to go hunt down some Cybermen?”_

_“Come with me.”_

Billie gasped as she was suddenly jerked back into reality by Jack sitting down beside her, staring down at her with concern, “Are you okay, Jeanie?”

Tears overflowing her eyes once more, she shook her head, not trusting her voice. Jack gathered her close as her world shattered for a second time.


	34. While You Slept: Awakening

Blinking, the Professor woke in the brightly lit room with all the other comatose victims. Taking a deep steadying breath, he turned to the side, groaning as his muscles strained and his joints popped. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he froze when he saw the bed next to him. Hands folded elegantly on her stomach, breathing gently, brown hair spread out across the white pillow, was Billie.

Although all the other “patients” looked peaceful in their sleep, Billie’s face was scrunched up as if in pain, eyes moving far too quickly to be normal. Gathering what energy he could, the Professor stood and carefully inched closer to her bed on wobbly legs. She twitched, a single tear leaking out from under her eyelid to run down into her hair. His heart clenched at the sight. What was wrong? The dream worlds the Metamonperlosus created were supposed to be fantastic fantasies. Nothing should be making her cry there. _Especially_ not enough for it to work its way into reality.

Carefully, he leaned down, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’m coming back for you,” he whispered reassuringly. Some of the stress lines etched in her forehead smoothed out as he allowed himself to linger, savoring the stolen moment just a little bit longer.

It felt as if he had to physically rip himself away from her, turning toward the end of the long hall opposite the door. A large security desk sat facing the rows of patients though there was no one behind it. Moving quickly, the Professor turned on one of the touch screens and began hacking into the Metamonperlosus’ system.

Things were going well for a while. He had just found the programs to awaken all the patients when a sudden crash had his head jerking up. The doors had been thrown open and the Metamonperlosus were back, and going by the dark red color they were turning, they were pissed. He only had a second to duck down under the computer console before a bolt of white/blue electricity was fired at him, singeing the white wall black where he once stood. He heard another couple shots being fired until a computer exploded, the others sparking in the aftershock.

“No!” he heard himself yell. That was the only way to wake everyone up. Well, not the only way, but he didn’t even want to contemplate the other option.

A vision suddenly clouded his sight. Billie, lying there crying from whatever she was being forced to endure. It didn’t make sense. The Metamonperlosus gave the person the life they desired most. Logically she should not be crying. Unless…

He had been able to break out of the trance. He had been able to see the world for what it really was, had remembered reality. What if…oh dear Rassilon! What if Billie had been able to fight it off as well? She was more than powerful enough to do it. With a mind like hers, it would be surprising if she didn’t fight it off even a little. Dammit! Why didn’t he see it before? She could be waking up this very second.

Carefully, the Professor stretched to peek over the rim of the desk to where Billie lay. Even from this distance, through the still firing Metamonperlosus, he could see her starting to stir. Just little things – her head turning slightly, a frown forming more noticeably, fingers twitching. Yep, she was definitely waking. He _had_ to lure the Metamonperlosus away before she woke completely and possibly got hurt.

Abrupt silence had him turning back to the Metamonperlosus. Having given up trying to fry him as he wasn’t fighting back, they were now floating lazily forward, heading directly for his computer console barricade. There were three of them, but it seemed they all favored coming in from his right. As quietly as possible, he scooted over to the opposite side. A distinctive electrical crackle could be heard the closer they got. When he judged them to be relatively near the corner, he spun out of his hiding place, pushing to his feet and into a sprint back down the room. A loud crack reverberated through the air a second before a sharp pain shot through his arm, sending him tumbling through the open doors. He caught himself on the wall outside, shooting a quick glance at his right arm to find a large singed hole in his jumper (luckily his jacket was MIA) and a nasty burn marring his flesh. With a growl, he pushed himself back up and ran down the hall, his only thought to draw the Metamonperlosus away from that room. Through their connection he’d know the second Billie woke up, and he’d be able to tell her what needed to be done to wake the others while he kept the aliens busy.

He skidded around a corner just in time to miss getting hit again. Hopefully Billie woke up soon.

* * *

Back in the room, Billie stirred a little more, tossing over in her bed until she lay on her side, turning away from the Professor’s empty cot and facing the sleeping Jack. She grew still once more, another tear tracing the side of her face.

A moment later, Jack sat up in bed, gasping for air like a drowned man. Eyes darting around the room, he attempted to gather himself. Logically he knew the life he’d thought he’d been living (married with children to Gwen) wasn’t real and could never be, but emotionally all he wanted was to find some way to be able to curl up next to the woman he loved every night. To have at least a semblance of a normal life for once.

Instead, he bit back a sob and tossed his legs off the side of the bed, breathing hard. Something had snapped him out of that dream world and it sure as hell wasn’t him. He closed his eyes, trying to think back to what it was that had made him realize the truth.

He remembered taking the kids to school, driving to the Hub where Ianto handed him a cup of coffee, kissing Gwen on the cheek, yelling at Owen and Tosh for making out in autopsy, and finally, sitting down to go over some paperwork. That was when things started to get a little freaky.

At first he thought he’d fallen asleep at his desk and was having some weird dream. Wouldn’t be the first time, nor probably the last. Paperwork had to be the dullest part of the job, hands down. A dark purple fog seemed to seep into his office, surrounding him and climbing up the walls. He froze at his desk, unsure of how to react. After all, the fog hadn’t actually done anything, simply came in. And if he was going with his gut on this one (something he usually did) he would have to say it didn’t feel threatening. It felt almost…homey. Comforting. Not in the way Gwen and the kids were, or even here with his work family. But it felt warm, and safe, and _right_. The pure goodness of it threw him. He’d never felt something emit anything like that. Involuntarily, he relaxed in his seat, knowing on some deep level that he wasn’t going to be hurt.

The fog swirled away from the walls as if sensing his submission. It gathered across the desk from him, rising up and forming into a humanoid figure. A female figure, if the small stature was anything to go by. The fog settled, standing in the middle of his office, now with a featureless face to stare at him.

Swallowing thickly, Jack forced himself to stand, holding onto the knowledge that this…creature meant him no harm. It – She stood perfectly still as Jack approached, blank eyes watching as he hesitated a foot away. He opened his mouth to speak, only to snap it shut again when her hand slowly rose, wisps of purple fog billowing out behind her arm. She reached up, hand curving to fit around his cheek, though she kept a good inch of space between them. He could feel his cheek warm from her close proximity. A wave of sadness crashed over him and he looked down at the figure. The features were slowly solidifying, shaping into a familiar frown.

Jack gasped as he stumbled back, away from the Billie shaped fog, a million memories from his real life crashing in on him. How could he have forgotten sweet little Billie Jean, who really was the little sister he never knew he wanted? Or quirky, energetic Josie, always dragging him along for the smallest reasons? Or Teach and Doc, who were there for him when no one else was? How could he forget his true family?

But how could he leave this one? This was what he wanted, deep down. What he was afraid to ask for. What he knew could never be his. Could he leave all this behind? Looking up at Billie’s heartbroken expression, her hand still stretched out toward him, beckoning him forward, he wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t wanna go,” he whimpered pathetically.

Billie closed her eyes, tears slipping out of the corners as she hung her head. Her hand stayed out, palm up. The message was clear. She didn’t like asking him any more than he liked leaving, but it was something they both had to do.

Barely holding back his own tears, Jack nodded and took one step forward, placing his palm against Billie’s. Immediately she faded back into the shapeless purple mist, enveloping him. Warmth spread throughout his body, making him feel heavy and weightless at the same time. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to float in the purple abyss.

_I’m sorry Gwen._

When he opened his eyes again, he was gasping in his cot on an alien ship. Turning his head, Jack saw Billie was still asleep next to him. Except, unlike the others, she was curled on her side, cheeks tearstained. How had she been able to get to his dream? Was she even aware of the real world? And if she was, why was she still sleeping?

Shaking his head, Jack decided to worry about that later. Getting up gingerly, he moved around his bed to Billie’s and bent down to press a quick kiss to her forehead.

“Thanks, Jeanie,” he whispered. “I needed that.”

Jack turned and walked toward the now destroyed computer console, unable to see Billie’s lips turn up into a small smile.


	35. While You Slept: Liberation

There was not enough swear words in any language, Jack decided half an hour later when the computers all decided to stay broken despite his best efforts. Sighing, he looked around the room. All the anonymous victims. Billie, still curled up on her side. Josie and the Doc, lying just as motionless as everyone else. They would all die if he didn’t figure out what to do.

He froze. There was someone missing. An empty bed on Billie’s other side was testimony to that. The Professor. Clearly this had been his doing. Well, maybe the Metamonperlosus did the _actual_ damage, but Teach was most definitely involved. After all, they had to have been shooting at something. They wouldn’t just destroy their own computer systems for no reason.

Grinning, Jack came up with another plan. Using some of the medical equipment from around his and Teach’s beds, along with the remains of the computers, he was able to cobble together something that a least resembled a gun. If nothing else, it should give the enemy pause. Hopefully.

Running back to Billie’s bedside, he swiftly brushed his lips against her forehead, “Be back in a bit, Jeanie.” He turned to face his other friends, giving them both a salute, “Josie. Doc. Hang in there.”

With that, Jack took off down the hall.

* * *

Skidding into yet another room resembling the one his companions lay in, this one filled with dried up corpses, the Professor started to get nervous. There had been far too many close calls and a couple more burns since he’d headed out and Billie still hadn’t woken. He’d tried reaching out for her, hoping to give her a little mental prod, but found her just as blocked as everyone else on this ship.

That was worrisome enough, but what really freaked him out was how hollow he felt without her mind constantly on the edge of his consciousness, as if part of himself was missing. He’d only heard of a connection that deep happening a couple of times. And that was between two Time Lords. What this could mean for him and Billie was more than a little troublesome.

But those were thoughts for later, when he had time to himself.

He slammed into a side door, rushing into another hall and almost crashing into another body. Another humanoid body, to be exact. Grabbing onto the person’s arm to steady himself, the Professor looked up into his face, smiling as he recognized the other man.

“Jack!”

“Nice to see you too, Teach,” Jack chuckled, playfully slapping the Time Lord’s cheek.

“How…”

He sighed, “I’m not sure. But Billie was definitely involved somehow.”

The Professor shook his head, a fond smile playing at his lips, “Of course she was.”

A loud bang preceded electric bolts shooting around them, missing them by centimeters. One last glance at each other, and the Professor and Jack sprinted away down the hall. They weaved in and out of rooms and halls in an attempt to confuse their pursuers.

“In here,” the Professor waved Jack into what appeared to be a broom cupboard. They sank down to the ground in the dark, taking a moment to catch their breaths.

“So,” Jack said after a minute. “Got a plan?”

“Working on it,” he sighed, eyeing the other man’s shadowy figure across from him.

“Terrific. In your own time, then.”

“What happened?” the Professor asked suddenly. He couldn’t concentrate on getting them out if his mind was constantly wandering back to why Billie wasn’t waking anymore or how Jack woke up instead. He needed answers. Now.

Jack sighed, “I’m not entirely sure.” He hesitated only a second before launching into the story, skimming over the finer details of the dream world, but that was alright. The Professor didn’t really need to know. There was only one thing that really interested him.

“You’re certain the mist was purple? Dark purple?”

Jack simply nodded, “Why?”

The Professor didn’t answer immediately, mulling over how to describe his thoughts. “Every sentient being’s mind is unique. As a telepath, I can hear the unique voice, as well as see their unique color.”

“Color?” Jack raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was heading.

He nodded, “Each mind has a sort of aura. Yours, for example, is a deep scarlet, though it’s lightened quite a bit over time. Josie has a sort of bubblegum pink color. The Doctor is a dark blue. And apparently I have a storm gray coloring. Billie…Billie is dark purple. Has been since she was a child.”

“So,” Jack leaned forward, suddenly very interested in the conversation. “So you’re saying Billie…”

“Billie quite literally reached her mind out to you to wake you up. She entered the world in your head the only way she safely could just to reach out to you for help.”

Falling back against the wall, Jack let out a huff of air, “Well damn.”

He internally agreed. Even now Billie’s power still managed to surprise him. He doubted it would ever stop. Not that he wanted it to.

While they had been talking a plan began to take shape in his head. The Professor sighed as a realization hit him. There was only one surefire way that they would get out of this alive. Some (or all) of the other victims may not make it, but it was the only chance they had left. They were going to have to kill them. All of the Metamonperlosus. He didn’t like it – he never liked killing. But he had to save them. Save Billie. That was all that could matter right now.

More determined than ever, the Professor set his jaw and pushed himself to his feet, Jack following closely behind as the Professor began to explain his plan. They hurried out of their hiding spot, careful to not be spotted and headed back to where Billie, Josie, and the Doctor were being kept, still lying in their beds completely unaware of their surroundings. Well, mostly. Billie was still curled up in a loose ball, her forehead crinkled as if in concentration. The Professor couldn’t help but pause beside her, gently brushing loose strands of hair out of her face. She mumbled in her sleep, head turning to follow his caress. He bit back a smile and forced himself to turn away, back to where Jack stood behind the desk, fiddling with the computers.

“Well it seems it’s not totally fried like I thought,” Jack explained. “Should be enough power to work.”

The Professor nodded, “Good. Do it.”

He moved back to Billie, carefully extracting her from the monitors keeping her alive and sucking her life out of her all at once. Gathering her close, he protectively tucked her into his arms and carried her to the computers, lying her in the space between the desk and the wall before going back to do the same for his brother and Josie. When he finished he turned to Jack who nodded solemnly, indicating everything was ready.

“This is gonna hurt, isn’t it?” the ex-Time Agent asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Probably,” the Professor answered honestly while raising his sonic in the air, turning it on as a beacon for the Metamonperlosus to find them.

Minutes slowly ticked by in relative silence except for the quiet breathing of the victims and the low hum of the machines. He mentally apologized to all the other people lying in the beds around him. They were good as dead anyway. Even if they were to wake up, after being fed off of by the Metamonperlosus most were unable to survive from the loss of what was essentially their soul. They became mere shells of who they once were. Only people who were able to get away quickly had a chance and even then it all depended on their strength of will to survive. The Professor wasn’t too worried about himself or his companions. They all had something to live for. First and foremost being each other. They’d help each other through this, as they always did. They would be alright.

The doors burst open and in floated the three large creatures, pulsing angrily with color. They slowly made their way forward, closing in on the Professor who stood just in front of the desk. He could feel Jack tense behind him, prepared to flip the switch at the precise moment.

“Not yet,” he muttered to the human as the Metamonperlosus continued to draw nearer.

“Professor…” Jack sounded worried.

“Not yet,” he reiterated. He waited patiently as the aliens moved right into their trap. “Now!” he shouted as he lifted Jack’s makeshift gun that was now connected to what was left of the computers. He shot a white hot beam of electricity at the Metamonperlosus while Jack hit the detonator to make the monitors around the bed fire as well, using their own food source against them. The victims wouldn’t survive, but at least this was better than the half-lives they would have led if he’d gotten them out. His only clear thought was that he hoped Billie wouldn’t hate him for this.

* * *

She felt foggy. That was the only word Billie could come up with to describe the weird groggy feeling that had settled over her. It was almost like she was floating between two worlds. One, the false world she’d left behind. The other, the real world with the Professor waiting for her. Part of her wanted to relax and drift back to that dreamscape but the stronger part of her knew she’d never be happy there, even if it was technically a safer place. She needed those insane Time Lords, the mind-blowing blue box, and the make-shift family she’d worked so hard to piece together. She had to go back to that life.

Struggling mentally against the haze, she tried to force her eyes to open though they weren’t as compliant as she wanted. She fought fruitlessly against her own body which seemed determined to stay shut down.

“Billie,” a deep, low voice floated through her subconscious, begging her to wake up. She wanted nothing more than to comply, but didn’t know if she could.

“C’mon Jeanie,” this voice was American accented. “Time to wake up sweetheart.”

“Billie,” the first voice called again, sounding desperate. A large palm pressed to her cheek, pulling her closer to the surface, dispensing the fog minutely, enough for her to be able to fight it off a little easier. “Please.”

Billie started to become more aware. The lower half of her body was on hard cold floor while the top half was being cradled against a strong, lean chest. She could hear slight shuffling of people surrounding her and the occasional spark from a fried machine nearby. The air smelled heavily of smoke and metal, plastic, and something that smelt disturbingly like flesh burning. She was aware of all these things, but she still couldn’t open her eyes, or even move for that matter.

“What’s wrong?” a female voice asked, frightened. “I thought you said she was waking up earlier. Why isn’t she awake yet?”

“I don’t know,” the voice Billie now could identify as the Professor said, his voice trembling slightly.

“Alright, everyone calm down,” that was the Doctor, for sure. “I’m sure she just used too much energy on waking Jack. She’ll be up soon.”

“Maybe we should go back to the TARDIS,” Jack suggested.

Billie could almost feel the person holding her nod, “She’ll be more comfortable there.” Okay, so the Professor was holding her. She felt him shift her so an arm was under her knees and the other wrapped around her back, lifting her as he stood up. She was hardly jarred as he walked some distance, footsteps following them.

Somewhere along the way, Billie began to regain control of herself. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked rapidly to dispel the fuzziness in her vision. Turning her face up, she caught sight of the Professor’s strong jaw, a bit of stubble starting to come in. She opened her cracked lips, trying to push sound past her dry vocal cords, but only coming up with a ragged breath. It was enough though. The Professor looked down, the worry in his eyes vanishing as he breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s alright, Billie,” he murmured quietly. “We’re safe now.”

She nodded, snuggling closer to what was always the place she felt safest, her head pressed against his chest to listen to his double heartbeat. He pressed a kiss to her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“You’re safe,” he repeated.

After a moment of swallowing she whispered hoarsely, “You died. You died and I couldn’t…I…” She shuddered, burying her face into his jumper and inhaling his scent to assure her it was just a dream. “I was so scared.”

His grip tightened, “In the dream? I died?”

She shuddered again, nodding. She reached up to weakly wrap her arms around his shoulders. She could feel drowsiness starting to take over again, despite the fact that she’d technically just woken up. “Don’t do that again, ‘kay?”

He didn’t say anything as they entered the TARDIS, the cool air washing over them, almost as though cleansing them of the horrors they’d endured. Billie’s eyes drooped closed, her head lulling on the Professor’s shoulder as he carried her through the halls to her room.

“I promise,” he whispered as she drifted off into oblivion once more.


	36. For Better Or For Worse: Sarah Jane

Sarah Jane Smith was a very observant person. She had to be. She was, after all, an investigative journalist. The time she spent with the Professor and Doctor only served to improve that skill. So when the people she knew best in the world (except Jack, but he seemed like a good enough person even if he flirted a bit too much) walked through her front door, she could tell something was off.

Billie seemed alright, if a little tired, immediately sitting down on the loveseat with Luke when the boy started rambling on about school and his friends. She smiled like she always did, and commented in all the right spots, giving advice to her younger cousin when needed. The Doctor was as chatty as ever, telling Sarah Jane stories of their travels with the assistance of Jack. More often than not, the Doctor would go off on a tangent about the fifth of their group, Josie (who was currently attending her cousin’s wedding) and Jack would smile suggestively over his head at her. Clearly something was going on there, but nothing to give her reason to worry.

No, the off feeling she was getting was coming from the Professor. The usually stoic man was even quieter than normal, sitting off to the side by himself and hardly giving a smile in greeting. His eyes constantly darted to where her niece sat curled up near the fireplace, a scowl taking up residence on his face. She was curious as to what was going on there, but refused to butt in to Billie’s business. The girl was old enough to handle her own affairs. Though if she asked, her aunt would be more than happy to step in.

“How long has it been?” Sarah Jane finally asked once there was a lull in conversation.

The Professor stayed silent, staring off into space, forcing the Doctor to answer hesitantly, “Almost a year now.”

Eyebrows raised, she turned to her niece who was sheepishly staring down into her tea. Now that she was looking closer, Sarah Jane could see the changes in the twenty-four-year-old (twenty-five now, apparently). Oh, she still looked like herself. Long brown hair in complete disarray, jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie instead of nice clothes, bare feet tucked under her.

But there were subtle differences. The dark rings under her eyes that had always been there from her late night reading sessions were darker now. She still sat back, relaxed, but her eyes shifted to exits, making sure they were in sight at all times. Though they were sitting apart (for the first time that Sarah Jane could remember) Billie still seemed to move whenever the Professor shifted, like a satellite, and vice versa. But the biggest difference was her eyes. Those big brown orbs that had always held innocence as well as wisdom seemed a little older, a little more haunted. She knew that there was nothing that could be done to avoid that. It was part of traveling in that blue box. The horrible things she saw would haunt her the rest of her life, but there was something else keeping it at bay. A flicker of light in their depths that spoke of a greater happiness than Billie had ever had while on Earth. Sarah Jane could only imagine how they would light up during an adventure.

“Call home more,” was all Sarah Jane could say. Everyone there knew that no matter what had happened during their travels, Billie wouldn’t leave. Not anytime soon anyway.

Billie smiled at her aunt and the Professor seemed to relax more in his seat, as if Sarah Jane’s acceptance of the unavoidable had reassured him that Billie wouldn’t leave him.

“Yes, Auntie Sarah,” Billie said dutifully, making Jack chuckle. Promptly, Billie chucked a pillow at him.

The doorbell rang out and Sarah Jane got up to answer, ducking around the pillow Jack sent flying back, but there turned out to be no need. She was half a step out in the hall when the door flew open and Donna Noble burst in. She brushed past the older woman and, shouting a greeting to the room at large, lunged at Billie, wrapping her in a big bear hug as they laughed. Luke quickly slipped out of his seat, instead hopping over to the sofa where Sarah Jane had been seated earlier. Donna plopped down in the now vacated seat and began babbling away at a speed to rival the Doctor’s.

“Donna!” Billie finally had to call over her friend’s voice. “Calm down! I haven’t been gone that long have I?”

“No but still,” she shrugged. “You never go anywhere and then suddenly you up and leave after that party. What happened?”

Billie bit her lip, glancing quickly at the Professor, “It’s a long story.”

“Good,” Donna crossed her arms determinedly. “I’ve always liked your stories.”

Billie sighed, turning to her traveling companions for help. The Doctor was smiling widely, enjoying the feisty new company. Or maybe he was just excited to meet a new ginger. It could be anything with him. Jack was too busy ogling Donna to hear any of the conversation. The Professor gave her a small nod. That was all the encouragement she needed.

“Donna this is the Professor–”

“Stop!” Donna’s eyes were so wide they looked like they were about to pop out of her skull. “Are you telling me this is the Dumbo that gave you that horrendous coat?”

Billie couldn’t help but laugh at the affronted look on the Professor’s face.

* * *

As her niece caught Donna up on all her adventures (now that Donna knew they weren’t all simply stories) Sarah Jane slipped out of the room, heading upstairs. About a week ago, her sister had finally relented, releasing the things Gregory had left for his baby sister when he died. Lizzie had selfishly kept everything from the daughter she no longer had, claiming Billie didn’t deserve it as she had long ago abandoned them to live with Sarah Jane.

Now Sarah Jane received a boxful that she was sure wasn’t even half of the things left to her niece. Greg and Billie had always been very close, and to have only left her one box of mementoes didn’t seem right. But there was nothing she could do. It was better than nothing.

She took the box out from under her bed and hefted it up into her arms. At least it was relatively heavy. That was a good sign.

When she managed to _not_ fall down the stairs and lugged the box in the living room, Donna was finally caught up, sitting in her corner quietly as she mulled over the new stories. Billie, Jack, and the Doctor were discussing something about the TARDIS while Luke listened eagerly. The Professor was looking at Billie sadly. A look of a heartbroken man in mourning, not a look he normally gave her.

“What’s that, Sarah Jane?” the Doctor asked, snapping everyone out of their thoughts and focusing their attention on her.

“It’s for Billie,” she said as gently as she could, placing the box by Billie’s feet. “My sister sent it over.”

Billie’s eyes widened in understanding as she now eyed the box with trepidation.

“Jeanie, you alright?” Jack asked.

She didn’t answer.

“Oh no,” Donna mumbled, squeezing her friend’s hand in support as she caught on. The Doctor looked to Sarah Jane for an explanation, but she stayed silent.

“Billie,” the Professor finally spoke, the first time he’d said anything since arriving.

Her eyes snapped up to his and for a moment, the room stood still. She drew in a shaky breath, nodding as she slid off the loveseat and onto the ground. With trembling hands, she flipped open the lid and stared inside for a long while. She hesitantly lifted out a black AC/DC hoodie, holding it up for everyone to see. A small smile graced her otherwise sad expression. Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah Jane saw Jack tense and lean forward slightly, completely enraptured by the simple garment for some inexplicable reason. She’d worry about that later.

Turning back to her niece she saw the young woman press the fabric in her hands to her face, inhaling deeply, “God, it still smells like him.”

The Professor slid down to sit next to her, finally getting over whatever had been keeping him at a distance. He looked at her sympathetically, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him sadly before pulling the hoodie over her head. The Professor wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she reached back in and pulled out shiny silver dog tags hanging on a long chain. She placed that over her head as well and held the tag in her hand, thumb running over the name engraved in the metal.

The next few minutes were passed in silence as Billie slowly went through the last things she had of her brother. When she finished, a framed picture of a young Billie and Greg at a street fair clutched to her chest, she slumped back against the loveseat, her head falling onto the Professor’s shoulder.

The room stayed silent, allowing Billie to work through her thoughts and sadness over losing her brother. It obviously still hurt quite a lot, despite the time that had passed. She needed the moment of their silent support.

Which was quickly broken by the shrill ringing of a cell phone.


	37. For Better Or For Worse: Donna

Donna looked wide-eyed at the hundreds of racks filled with clothes from every era imaginable. Never had she seen so many clothes in her life. Billie stood a little ways away, still talking on her phone with that one girl. Jenny, was it?

Sighing, Billie finally hung up and turned back to her friend, “Sorry, what was I saying?”

“We have to pick dresses to go to some wedding?”

“Right,” she nodded, stepping up to a rack with normal twenty-first century looking clothes. “I guess something happened to the groom or something. Josie’s positive that it’s alien, so we’re gate crashing. Let’s find something for you first.”

Donna began looking through the dresses, occasionally glancing at her friend. She had changed a lot since they last saw each other. She was more quiet, solemn, and tired looking, yet so, so happy. Donna had never seen Billie as peacefully joyful as when the Professor sat holding her after the emotional upheaval of going through her brother’s things. Which really left a lot of questions open to Donna. And Donna Noble was not one to let things lie. Nope. She was the one to poke things with a stick until she discovered what they were.

It was time to start poking.

“So what’s going on between you and the Professor?”

Billie closed her eyes and sighed, “Blunt as always, I see.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Nothing is going on, Donna.”

“You are a horrible liar.”

“I’m serious.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s nothing to tell!” Billie threw up her hands in exasperation, turning to plop down on a nearby chaise. “Nothing is going on. I’m not lying.”

Donna tilted her head, studying her friend closely, “But you want there to be.”

Billie chewed her lip, “Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve known him since I was nine. I’ve never been closer to anyone in my life. You and Greg aside. I don’t want to ruin that. Not to mention, there is one hell of an age gap.” She laughed lightly, shaking her head, “None of that matters anyway. He couldn’t feel the same. He just sees me as the little girl he helped years ago.”

“Billie…”

She raised a hand to stop her, “It’s alright. I’m fine. Let’s just find you a dress, yeah?”

Donna quickly pulled her into a hug before nodding, “Alright, what’ve you got?”

The two women turned to find one entire rack empty except for two gorgeous dresses. One a dark navy sleeveless with a clinched waist the other a more flowy dark purple with thin quarter sleeves. Billie grinned, taking the blue dress over to the floor length mirror and holding it against herself. Only a friend as close as Donna could see the conflict still raging in the brown eyes. But luckily for Billie, Donna was also the type of friend to help even if it was unwanted. She just had to come up with a plan.

* * *

After quickly throwing together acceptable ensembles, Donna followed Billie down the winding halls of the spaceship, trusting that the brunette knew where she was going in the confusing maze that had been her home for so long now. Sure, the alien boys claimed it wasn’t a spaceship, but really it was. She didn’t care if they continued to argue otherwise, to Donna it was a spaceship. Period.

Emerging into the main room (console room, Billie called it), Donna could hear the clinking and occasional sparks from where the guys seemed to be fixing something with the controls. She could spot the crazy brown hair of the Doctor’s poking out from the other side of the controls while jean clad legs were all that could been seen of the Professor from where he laid under the grating. She had to admit, Billie hadn’t exactly picked the most attractive of the men she traveled with, but then again she supposed you couldn’t choose who you loved.

Billie walked over to the Professor and gently nudged his leg with her strappy high heel, “We’re ready.”

The Doctor popped up and looked them over, smiling widely, “You look nice.”

“I must say,” Donna said grinning, “I could get used to that wardrobe.”

The Professor finally emerged, and stopped short, still sitting on the ground as he gawked, jaw on the floor, up at Billie. Donna chuckled at her friend’s slightly flushed face.

“These dresses are better than anything we could ever afford, right Billie?” she asked, only to get a mumbled reply. “Yep. Very, very nice. Especially yours. I’ve never seen you wear something so form-fitting, though.” She smiled at the Doctor who was shaking his head at her, fighting a smile himself.

Huffing, Billie finally answered, “Yes well, I didn’t have much choice, did I? The other dresses disappeared so I had to wear this. That usually happens.” She finished in a mumble again.

“Aren’t you guys gonna change?” she grinned, finally willing to change the subject now that she’d gotten an answer, and by the contemplative look on the Professor’s face, he was realizing something as well. That could prove fruitful.

The Professor cleared his throat, jumping to his feet, “No.”

“They never change,” a silky smooth voice came from behind her. She turned to see Jack dressed up in a tux, and looking absolutely delicious. Donna blushed bright red when he started looking her up and down, a cat that caught the canary grin on his face. “Don’t you look lovely.”

When she couldn’t think of anything to say Billie started laughing, “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day Donna Noble was stunned silent.”

Donna growled playfully and pretended to lunge at her friend, making Billie put on a show of being afraid and hiding behind the Professor who rolled his eyes, though he clearly appreciated the fact that the brunette was behaving normally again. This was only confirmed by Jack when they were heading out the door, the Doctor in the lead, followed by the Professor and Billie with Jack and Donna trailing behind.

“She’s been a bit distant with him for a while now,” he whispered to her in case the others were listening. “We got into a bit of a tight spot not too long ago and they’ve been walking on eggshells around each other ever since. It’s nice to see them relaxing again.” He squeezed her hand where it rested on his arm in thanks.

“I don’t know how much that has to do with me,” Donna admitted reluctantly. She usually always liked taking praise, but this didn’t seem to have anything to do with her. “I don’t even know the Professor and I’ve been doing nothing but bugging Billie, as usual.”

Jack smiled and Donna felt herself swoon a little, “Maybe that’s what Billie needed. Normally Josie would be on her ass, but she had a hard time as well and wasn’t up to it. I would have just made it worse. And as for the Professor, I think hearing Billie talk about all our trips positively to you helped him realize she doesn’t regret anything. That’s always been his worse fear.”

“Okay then,” she grinned, “I’m awesome.”

He laughed, “Yes, you are. But you’re Billie’s best friend, so there wasn’t any doubt.”

“Oi! I’m more than Billie’s friend, pretty boy!”

He laughed again, nodding, “I don’t doubt it, Red.” He winked.

“Doctor!” a shout interrupted them.

They looked up to see a redhead, hair curled and half up, wearing a flowy, tangerine colored, one shoulder, knee length bridesmaid dress, running full speed (despite the delicate heels) down the steps leading to a grand church. Startled, Donna finally looked at her surroundings to find they weren’t in London, but a beautiful countryside. The church stood in the middle of a field filled with late-blooming wildflowers. Clouds were just beginning to roll in and a electrically charged crisp wind warned of a storm approaching. She gasped, turning to Jack to ask how the hell they got there when she couldn’t remember the ship moving when she’d been in the wardrobe with Billie.

Jack chuckled and winked again, “The TARDIS has a mind of her own. Didn’t want to disturb you two, so she kept the turbulence to a minimum in the back rooms.”

She gaped, “Please tell me you mean that as a figure of speech.”

He just chuckled again and moved to stand with the others where they had gathered near the bottom step. The redhead (whom she assumed was Josie) was clinging onto the Doctor, almost in tears. Donna rolled her eyes. It seemed Billie wasn’t the only human on board the TARDIS that had fallen for an alien. It was going to be a long day.


	38. For Better Or For Worse: Amy

Amy paced up and down the room, chewing on her nails, her long white wedding dress swishing around her ankles. Everything was going to hell in a hand basket and she had no control over it. Rory had attacked her. _Attacked_. Dear, sweet Rory who had to have her kill spiders because he didn’t have the stomach to and talked baby-talk to practically every animal they ran across. Unless it had more than four legs, that it. Those he ran screaming from. How could he have _attacked_ her like that? It just didn’t make sense.

Thank God for Josie. She had come in just in time to see Rory lunging for his bride and pulled him back off her. Maybe a little too roughly considering the cracking sound his head made against the wood floor, but that hadn’t really been their main concern at the time. Immediately after, Josie had ushered Amy into a side room and vanished for about half an hour, keeping the door locked, just in case. When she came back she was on the phone with one of her friends – the ones that she’d been with since Halloween. Josie explained (after the call) that they were experts in abnormalities and could probably help. They were on the way to the church now.

Still, Amy couldn’t seem to catch a proper breath as Josie rushed out to meet them. When she woke up this morning, everything had seemed so perfect. She was in love, getting married, her best friend and cousin had never seemed happier. Their whole lives were finally coming together after such rocky starts. She should have known it wouldn’t last. Nothing like that ever lasted long for her. She just wasn’t that lucky.

She was a little startled to see Josie’s red, puffy eyes when she came back, leading a tall lanky man in a pinstripe suit with gravity defying brown hair by the hand. She’d been so calm and collected during this whole ordeal, Amy momentarily forgot that Rory was just as much Josie’s best friend as he was hers. They were followed by a harsh looking man with big ears and nose in a leather jacket and a small brunette woman wearing a pretty blue dress. The last couple was a very attractive man ( _stop it, Amy! You’re supposed to be getting married_ ) who easily could be a model in any country in the world escorting an older redhead who looked a little lost in the group, as though she wasn’t sure what she was doing there.

“Amy,” Josie drew her attention back to her, “This is the Doctor, the Professor, Billie, Jack, and Donna.”

“You can help Rory?” she immediately asked.

“We’ll do whatever we can,” the Doctor assured. “Where is he?”

“This way,” Josie tugged on his hand, still tightly clasped in hers. In better circumstances Amy might have commented on that, but with her engagement on such thin ice, she wasn’t in the mood. Maybe later.

They entered the main chamber of the bridal suite to find Rory duct taped to a chair. The silver material was wound around him from his ankles to his chest and a piece was covering his mouth, muffling the primal screams of rage still issuing from the man. He was paler than Amy had ever seen him and a light sheen of sweat coated his skin. But the most alarming thing was his eyes. There was no pupils, no irises, no whites, just pure red staring up at them. A shiver ran down her spine as she clamped a hand over her mouth to stop a sob from escaping. This was not her Rory.

Josie came over and wrapped her in a hug, “I think we should wait in the other room. Doctor?”

“Hmm?” he glanced up, now wearing glasses and nodded. “Yes, that’s fine. Billie? Donna?”

Billie nodded, tugging Donna out by the arm as they followed the two redheads.

“Wait!” the Doctor called and they paused on the threshold. “Poor Billie,” he grinned. “The only non-ginger.”

Donna turned to the brunette who was gaping incredulously at the man, “Can I slap him?”

“Time and place, Doc,” Jack huffed, shaking his head.

“Right, sorry!” The men turned back to examining the thing that was once Rory as the women beat a hasty retreat.

Amy collapsed onto a spindly chair and openly sobbed. She didn’t care anymore. Her fiancé was…whatever that was. She had a right to bawl her eyes out if she wanted. The others didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping her either. Josie sat down on the floor beside her, her hand resting comfortingly on the back of her head while the two women she didn’t know sat down across the room to give them some space, talking in hushed tones.

“Sorry,” Amy murmured, wiping her eyes as she finally calmed down some.

“Don’t be,” a South London accent said. Looking up, Amy found the brunette smiling sympathetically. “You have every right to cry right now.”

Amy nodded, but continued in her attempt to pull herself together.

“What happened?” Donna asked. “I mean do you know how he got like that?”

She shook her head, “I was getting ready – doing my make-up – and he came in. I was telling him off. Said it was bad luck for him to see me in my wedding dress. Then he…” She looked to her cousin for help.

“When I came in, he had her pinned to the chaise,” she shuddered. “I’ve never seen Rory act that way. He’s usually so sweet. I pulled him off and he kinda hit his head. Got knocked out for a while. I was able to get him onto the chair and tie him up before he started snapping at me. Like a dog. It was horrible. When he looked at me, it was like Rory wasn’t there anymore. When I asked why he was doing this…he laughed. Like in a horror movie. And his eyes started turning red. That’s when I taped his mouth. I just couldn’t take it anymore. So I called you guys.” Amy began to quietly cry again after hearing all the details. God, what had happened to her love?

Billie nodded, “I’m sure the boys will sort it and Rory will be fine.” She sounded so confident, Amy couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope.

“Yeah?” she asked uncertainly.

Billie nodded, smiling slightly. “I’ll go tell them everything that happened for you guys.”

“Thanks, Billie,” Josie smiled.

As she passed, the brunette laid a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder, disappearing back into the other room. They could hear muffled voices, but nothing distinctive before the door closed behind her.

“So,” Donna began after a beat of silence. “Duct tape? A little excessive, don’t ya think?”

Amy laughed humorlessly as Josie shook her head, “First thing I thought of.”

“And who brings duct tape to a wedding anyway?” she asked curiously.

“You never know,” Josie defended as Amy laughed harder at the ridiculousness of the situation. Only she would have something like this happen on her wedding day.

Donna shook her head, “You’ve been hanging around them for too long.”

Josie grinned, “Probably.”

“I’m lost,” Amy admitted, forehead crinkling.

Josie was about to explain when the door opened again, Billie hovered on the threshold, chewing her lip nervously, a sad glint to her eyes.

“Oh God,” Amy sobbed. “No! But you said…”

“I’m sorry,” the brunette murmured. “They can’t do anything.”

Josie suddenly got angry, jumping to her feet as Donna came to help console Amy as much as possible. “Can’t, or won’t?” she hissed out. Billie just shook her head. “Move,” Josie pushed past her friend, already shouting before Billie could close the door, drowning out her voice.

A few minutes passed as Amy tried her hardest to stop crying, but then she’d remember Rory and start sobbing all over again. Donna just held onto her, knowing words would be of no use right now. The door burst open again and Josie stormed back in, Billie hot on her heels.

“Just stay with them, Jack,” Billie said, closing the door.

“I can’t believe this!” Josie ranted. “They’re so stupid!”

“Josie,” Billie hissed. “Not helping.”

“Well!” she continued to shout. “What good are they if they can’t do anything? ‘Sorry, Josie. Anything we do may kill him.’ So stupid!”

Donna hushed them as Amy’s sobbing intensified. Josie flinched, murmuring apologies as she rushed to her cousin’s side.

Donna joined Billie, “Is there really nothing any of you can do?”

The brunette eyed the door before speaking, “There might be something…”

“Please,” Amy gasped, hearing this. “Please, I’ll do anything.”

“It’s not something _you_ could do, Amy…”

“No,” Josie jumped up again. “You heard them, Billie. It could kill him _and_ you.”

“I’m stronger than them. I’ve done more than this before.”

“I don’t care. Don’t make me loose _two_ of my best friends in one day!”

“I won’t,” Billie said quietly. “If you help me…”

“What do you mean? How can I do anything?”

“Will you two please tell me what’s going on!” Amy jumped up, frustrated with not knowing something.

“I second that!” Donna agreed, crossing her arms angrily.

Billie sighed, “I can’t really explain, exactly, but I have a…special ability that may help.”

“Still doesn’t explain what I have to do with this,” Josie hissed.

Glancing quickly at the other two, Billie pulled the redhead away a little, talking low, though Amy could still catch her words now that she wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably, “If I draw some of your psychic energy into me I may be able to overpower him enough to push out the parasite while making sure it doesn’t latch onto one of us. But you’ll be in danger too, then. We could both die, even if we save Rory.” Amy couldn’t understand half of that, but she did know they somehow had a way to save Rory, even if it meant costing their lives. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that yet. She was just sort of numb, truthfully.

Josie chewed her lip thoughtfully, glancing at Amy from the corner of her eye, who tried to look innocent, turning to Donna who also seemed to have been eavesdropping. They both tried to look like they were deep in conversation while listening carefully to the one across the room.

“Alright,” Josie finally answered. “Let’s do it. But we have to figure out how to get the guys out of there and distracted long enough for this to work.”

“Just leave that to me,” Donna said, standing up and striding from the room. Billie shook her head fondly.

“Okay,” Josie chuckled weakly. “But what about keeping them out if she fails?”

“She won’t,” Billie grinned. “But just in case I have these,” reaching into a small clutch purse Amy hadn’t noticed, she pulled out two long silver pens.

Josie laughed, “Of course you do.”

Donna appeared again as Billie hid the pen things again, leading all three guys out the main door in a hurry. Whatever she’d told them seemed to work as the redhead disappeared out the door behind them.

Nodding, Billie went into the room with Rory while Josie took Amy’s hands in her own, “Amy, I need you to stay here, okay? No matter what you hear, just stay here.”

Weakly, Amy nodded, “Thank you. Whatever you’re about to do, thank you. And Billie too.”

Teary-eyed, Josie smiled, “Of course. Anytime, Amy. You never even have to ask.”

They hugged each other tightly, both knowing this could be the last time they could. As her cousin turned away, Amy felt guilt rise up in her. How could she ask this of these two beautiful, strong women, one of which she had yet to get to know? It was wrong of her to ask them to sacrifice themselves just for the love of her life. Could she really be this selfish? Before the door closed, she caught a glimpse of Rory, slumped against the duct tape, head bowed, hair plastered to his sweaty forehead, and she realized – yes, she really could.


	39. For Better Or For Worse: Rory

He didn’t know what happened. He was at his bachelor party, and there’d been a stripper though he’d specifically asked not to have one. Amy wouldn’t have cared, he was sure, but he did. It just felt awkward and he preferred not to have a half-naked woman dancing in his personal space, thank you very much. And boy, did she get into his personal space. Her face at times came about an inch away from his and she was breathing so heavily into his face, he felt woozy. Her breath almost had a salty sweet taste to it that tickled the back of his throat when he inhaled by accident.

The rest of the night passed in a bit of a blur. He could remember waking up groggier than ever, with a churning stomach and pounding head that he attributed to nerves and a massive hangover. He took some aspirin, ate a light breakfast and ran to the church just in time not to be late.

But the aspirin never started working. His stomach and head just got worse and worse until he could barely stand. His dad had been concerned, saying they’d have to call off the wedding and take him to the hospital. Rory really didn’t want to do that. He and Amy had been so looking forward to this day – the best day of their lives. He didn’t want to put off marrying her any longer than necessary. But as time passed and he steadily got worse, it became abundantly clear that it was _very_ necessary.

Stumbling down the hall, he stopped outside the bridal suite, waiting until his dad had disappeared around the corner, intending to get the car for him. He practically fell into the room where Amy stood in front of the mirror, looking absolutely gorgeous in her beautiful white dress. If he had any breath left in his body, she’d have stolen it in that moment.

Instead she whirled on him, “Rory, you idiot! You’re not supposed to be here! It’s bad luck! You need to go!”

Rory blacked out.

* * *

When he came to again, he was aware of a heavy pressure in his head, and the fact that he didn’t seem to have control over his own body. He wanted to turn to look for Amy who seemed to have disappeared, but his head stayed resolutely still, staring straight ahead. He could sense somehow that his body was tied down, but his head should be able to move if he wanted, but it didn’t. He continued to look at the door in front of him. A door that, if his memory was right, led to the antechamber of the bridal suite.

A burning sensation suddenly encompassed his mind, making him want to lash out, scream, anything to gain some help from somewhere. A creepy laugh echoed inside his mind.

“ _Nice try, little human_ ,” it hissed, sounding a little too much like Gollum for comfort. “ _But I have control now!_ ”

“ _Who are you?_ ” he thought back, hoping that would work. “ _What are you?_ ”

“ _Oh! Aren’t you a smart one?_ ”

He mentally sighed when they didn’t answer his question. So much for that. Okay, so there was a mysterious…thing inside his head, controlling his body. Why?

“ _Well, see the thing is, I feed off of psyches_ ,” the thing giggled. “ _But they never last long, humans I mean. They’re so frail, so weak. Their bodies give out under the strain so easily. So I have to find another host. That dancer woman was pretty delicious, but didn’t have much to begin with._ You _on the other hand…mmmmm, so satisfying. I could stay here for a month or two before you begin to rot._ ” It giggled again.

Rory shivered. That did not sound pleasant. Worry started to seep in. Not so much for himself, but if this thing went from person to person it could hurt his Amy. He wouldn’t mind dying so much if that happened. If only he could think of a way to regain control, he could kill himself and the thing along with it, then no one could ever get hurt again. It would cause Amy pain, if he did that, but at least he’d know she’d be safe.

“ _Nice try, but you can’t regain control. And besides, I’m made of psychic energy. You can’t kill us like that. Only a telepath can harm us, and to do that, they’d kill you too._ ”

“ _So be it_ ,” Rory thought rather bravely in his opinion.

“ _Do you know a telepath?_ ” Rory didn’t answer. “ _Didn’t think so. Why don’t you take a nap and let me handle this._ ”

Rory could see the door handle jiggling before he blacked out again.

* * *

He jerked back into awareness as a door slammed loudly. Josie, Amy’s cousin, came barging in, glaring at three men he didn’t know who were gathered around him. A brunette woman followed behind her, looking awfully distraught.

As Josie began yelling at the men, telling them to fix him at all costs, the other woman simply stared at Rory as if searching for something. The understandable bits of argument around him made it sound like none of them thought he was in his own head anymore, that the thing had taken over completely. Only the woman he didn’t know was looking at him, so he tried to convey with a look that he was there, that he could be saved.

He felt a warm brush against his mind and the thing got excited, “ _A telepath! A human telepath! A powerful one! She would be exquisite!_ ”

Rory felt a spark of hope, “ _But you said telepaths could harm you._ ”

It scoffed, “ _Only well trained ones. A human could not be that well trained._ ”

His stomach sunk. Well then, they were all doomed.

“Billie!” a Northern accent snapped. It was the man with the big ears. “Don’t do that! If the Caxer latches onto you, you’ll both be dead.”

“He’s in there, Professor. I can feel it,” she shook her head. “You want me to just leave him to die?”

The Professor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “We don’t have much choice right now Billie. I won’t risk you.”

The two stared at each other meaningfully for a long moment. Rory had a sense of déjà vu. It was like looking in a mirror of him and Amy when they first started going out. The longing looks while keeping a respectful distance. Tearfully, Billie began to nod, moving forward to apologetically hug each man in turn. They looked a little shocked, but didn’t say anything. Josie huffed and stormed back out, clearly still pissed about the situation. The good looking man began to follow Billie as she turned to leave as well, but she waved him off.

“Just stay with them, Jack,” she told him, closing the door behind her.

Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I don’t like this.”

“None of us do,” the Professor growled. “But we have no choice. It’s too far along to take out without any damage to the boy. All we can do is keep the Caxer from moving to another host.

Rory could feel the thing (he refused to give it a name – his last rebellious act against it) hissing and spitting, angry at the men who seemed to have some sort of power over it, whether it liked it or not. They continued to grumble to each other, not really paying too close attention to Rory. They didn’t really need to. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He didn’t even want to. Sure they had pretty much guaranteed he was going to die soon, but it was for a good cause, wasn’t it? God, when did he start being so egotistical? Or was it sadistic to think this way? Either way, what did it matter now?

The door opened again and a redhead (must be someone from Amy’s family) rushed in, looking panicked, “There’s another one!”

“What!” the man in the pinstripes shouted.

“Jack, stay here,” the Professor began, only to be cut off by the woman.

“Nevermind that! He’s not going anywhere! It’s going nuts downstairs! Let’s go! Come on!”

She practically pushed them out of the room, leaving Rory alone with the thing once more. Luckily, it didn’t seem in the talking mood anymore and kept quiet, only stirring excitedly when Billie reentered the room. She took a deep, bracing breath before moving closer, stopping about a foot away. She stared intently in his eyes.

“Rory,” she said sternly. “If you can hear me, I promise I’m going to get you out.”

He felt his stomach roll. Hadn’t those men say she could get herself killed that way? The thing was practically buzzing with anticipation.

“So pretty,” it used his mouth to purr at her.

She sighed and backed up a step as Josie entered, looking rather shaken, “Ready?”

“Not really,” Josie answered, shrugging. “But we only have so long, so let’s get this over with.”

Billie nodded, reaching out to take the other woman’s hand. Both closed their eyes, heads bowed as they concentrated. Energy seemed to buzz around them momentarily. The thing began to get worried.

“What are you doing?” it growled at them.

“This feels so weird,” Josie murmured, ignoring it.

“Shh,” Billie hushed.

They stood hand-in-hand for a long moment before Billie reached out with her spare hand and gently touched his forehead. Immediately warmth spread throughout his body, chasing away the numbness the thing had brought. Speaking of the thing. It hissed and snapped at the feeling as it pressed into his mind. For a minute, Rory was worried about it coming into his head as well. How many more things could be shoved in there before he snapped? His eyes closed of their own accord, and his head dropped down, though he could still feel the gentle touch at his temple.

As the warmth continued to swirl through his limbs, Rory became aware of the inside of his mind. It was almost like he was dreaming, but at the same time he wasn’t. He was just seeing what was taking place in his head. The two women took shape there still grasping each other’s hands, along with himself and a Gollum shaped figure. He wasn’t sure if that was his mind making a shape he recognized for the thing or if that’s really what it looked like. Either way he was sure that’s what it was.

Billie smiled sweetly at him, “Hello, Rory.”

Josie grinned, “I can’t believe this is working!”

Rory tried to smile, but his eyes kept on darting to the small form crouched low to the ground. It seemed to be cringing away from the two girls.

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Billie said calmly. “The hard part was breaking through its defenses. After that it’s rather simple to make it just…” she waved a hand toward it, causing it to yell out in pain. Other than that nothing happened. Billie frowned. “Huh. That should have worked.”

The thing was angry now, straightening out as it began to creep toward the girls.

“Billie,” Josie said worriedly.

Billie’s eyes darted to the other woman, then to Rory. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Do you trust me, Josie?”

“Of course,” she answered readily.

“With your life?”

“Always,” she didn’t hesitate.

She turned back to Rory, with a sad sort of smile, “It was nice meeting you, Rory.”

“Bye, Rory,” Josie waved, sniffling.

“Wait! What’s happening?”

The scene began to fade, pulling him away from the women. His last glimpse was of the thing launching itself through the air at them.

* * *

He woke up with a jolt, struggling against his bindings. Amy was standing in the doorway, the door hanging loosely off its hinges, her hand pressed to her mouth as tears streaked down her face. The redhead who’d gotten the men away stood near her, looking stunned. The three men were gathered on the ground around two shapes. Straining his neck to see, he felt his stomach drop.

Billie and Josie were lying unconscious on the ground.

“No,” he breathed, calling attention to him.

“Rory,” Amy gasped, rushing over to clutch onto him.

“What…how…” he couldn’t form a coherent thought.

“They took it into themselves, and killed it in their own minds,” the Professor growled angrily, blue eyes cutting deep into him. He obviously blamed Rory. Hell, Rory blamed himself. “They could have killed themselves in the process. Just to save you.”

Rory hung his head in shame as two of the men gathered the unconscious women and hurried out the door. The third – the attractive one – paused by the redheaded woman.

“Wait here with them,” he told her. “We’ll pick you up later.”

She nodded, “Just go save them.”

He inclined his head before jogging out the door, leaving Rory with Amy, the redhead, and a massive amount of guilt.


	40. Interlude: Far Away

Jack followed behind the two shaken Time Lords as they carried their precious charges out of the church, past all the startled guests, and out the doors where the TARDIS stood waiting their return. Upon entering the cool timeship, he was sure he felt a wave of worry from the old girl as the drivers swiftly flew through the room without a word. Jack quickly jogged to keep up with their long strides as they moved into a medical bay just off the control room.

The room looked just like any other med-bay, sterile, white, efficient. Two cots lay side-by-side with machines of different shapes and sizes (and eras) surrounding them like a cocoon. The Professor was busy connecting wires to Billie, whom he’d placed on one of the cots. The Doctor was doing something similar to Josie in the next cot, pressing square sticky pads to her temples. Both men were moving with manic energy, anxiety and fear radiating off them in waves. Jack had never seen them so desperately worried before.

Suddenly, the Professor swore loudly and slammed a fist against one of the screens, making Jack jump. The Doctor didn’t seem to hear him, glasses perched on his nose as his eyes flew across a screen.

“Professor,” Jack sighed, shaking his head. He was completely ignored of course. “Teach,” he tried again, but the Time Lord was frowning at the screen like that would make it tell him what he wanted to know. Sighing again, Jack slumped down onto a chair between the two cots to wait for something, anything to happen.

“I don’t understand, and I understand everything.” Finally the Doctor spoke, mumbling under his breath.

“What is it?” Jack asked worriedly.

“It’s like…they’re not here.”

His brow furrowed, “What are you talking about? They’re right here.”

The Professor shook his head, turning to face Billie’s prone body. He braced his hands on the edge of the cot, hunching over her, “Their minds aren’t. They’re just…not present. I can’t feel her at all.” His voice cracked at the end and he quickly squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt not allow tears to escape.

“Oh God…” Jack shuddered at the thought. What had happened to them? They hadn’t really had time for explanations before, concentrating more on getting the girls to the TARDIS. “What do we do?” he asked after a moment of silence, deciding that was the more pressing question at the moment.

The Professor shook his head, eyes still closed, “I don’t know. I just…I don’t know.”


	41. The Christmas Spirit: In Limbo

Gradually, she once again became aware of her surroundings – the smooth hard surface beneath her, the cold air chilling her exposed skin, and most importantly, the smooth baritone voice that seemed vaguely familiar, even while she knew for a fact she’d never heard the proper English accent in her life.

“Billie,” the voice drifted over from a far off distance, washing over her and warming her deep down, almost making her sigh in contentment. She felt her body relax at the soothing tone, sinking further into the darkness encasing her mind. Part of her knew this was wrong. That she should stop going toward the voice, wherever it was, and to fight off whatever was pulling her under. But another part of her just wanted to drift away, to allow herself some peace. He would understand that, wouldn’t he? They’d both been through so much, most of it together. He wouldn’t blame her for seeking an escape.

Would he?

“Billie Jean Smith, don’t you dare!” the voice that had been so soft, luring her with its sweetness, had suddenly snapped, commanding her with a harshness she’d only heard a handful of times from him and almost never directed at her.

Her brow furrowed. What had she done to deserve that tone? It kind of made her irrationally angry. He had no right speaking to her like that. Not after all she’d been through saving…well, the whole world basically. _Her_ whole world, definitely.

Her fingers twitched.

“That’s it,” he coached. “Good girl. Time to wake up.”

 _Huh?_ Okay, now she was confused. What the hell was he talking about? She wanted to shout at him, but her voice refused to cooperate, her jaw locked in place. Instead she made a pathetic whimpering sound.

“It’s alright, my dear,” the voice soothed. “Everything will be fine. Just keep fighting it.”

 _Fighting what?_ He was really starting to annoy her with his cryptic advice. A small growl fought its way up her throat, making him chuckle. That only served to annoy her more.

Slowly the darkness in her mind dissipated, giving her inch by inch more space to think. A weight she hadn’t known was there lifted from her body, allowing her more movement. She opened her mouth, gasping in large lungfuls of air just because she could again. Her hands tightened into fists before releasing, relishing in the feeling of her muscles flexing for the first time in what felt like hours. Her legs bent, her body curling in on itself as she grunted at how stiff she’d become. The material of her favorite jeans shifting against her skin was a comfort, and she could feel the cold smooth floor under her bare feet. Good. She always preferred going barefoot. Even on the TARDIS, despite that the grating always felt like it might cut into her soles. Finally she lifted her arms from her sides to rub her eyes with the heel of her palms, trying to get that horrid groggy, slept-too-long, feeling out of her head.

“That’s it,” he said eagerly, still from a strange distance. “Come now, my dear. Open your eyes for me.”

Her hands lowered and she couldn’t help but comply. Her eyes fluttered open.

* * *

It was too bright. Even with her eyes scrunched up as tight as possible, she could still see the overly bright white-blue light that surrounded her. Surely if she opened them she’d be blinded. Curling up into a ball on the warm ground, she tucked her head protectively under her arms, hoping that would dull the light. It didn’t help. She bit back a whimper, not wanting to seem scared in case someone was nearby.

Her mind went over and over the events at Amy’s wedding, but she couldn’t come up with how she ended up here. She remembered being in Rory’s mind with Billie – which had been really weird. She remembered confronting that…thing (she forgot what it was called) and she could remember it attacking them. But after that, nothing. It was like she popped out of there and into here. Wherever here was.

Melodic music from a flute or recorder of some kind began to play, drifting over from some distance and circling around her until her body unwillingly began to relax. She sighed, rolling onto her back again, smiling as the music soothed her nerves and the light turned from burning to warming.

The music ended abruptly and she pouted. A man chuckled nearby, making her tense up again. Who was that? What did he want? Was he the one who brought her here for God knows what reason?

“Shh,” he soothed and she felt a hand run through her hair. “You’re safe.” Why did he sound so familiar?

It was then that she realized her head had at some point been placed in a lap. Most likely the man’s lap – there didn’t seem to be anyone else around anyway. Fingers continued to tunnel through her hair and a feeling of safety pulsed through her, reaffirming the man’s words. She sighed.

“That’s it,” the man assured. “Just relax.”

She couldn’t really bother to argue. Her brain was screaming at her that nothing about this situation should be safe, but her instincts were telling her to just lie back and enjoy it while she could.

“Good,” the hand disappeared from her head and she scowled. A second later she felt hands easing her shoulders up so she was in a sitting position. She made a noise of protest, but he just chuckled at her, “Open your eyes, Josie.”

Huffing in annoyance, she blinked into the bright light encasing her.

* * *

Billie rose on shaky legs and stared wide-eyed at the old man grinning in front of her, leaning on a cane and dressed in an old style suit. His white hair was long and swept back neatly. Her breath hitched when her eyes connected with his. Familiar ageless blue eyes stared affectionately back at her. Albeit a different shade of blue, but familiar all the same.

A small smile spread across her face and she launched herself at him, causing him to laugh as he wrapped his arms, cane and all, around her to keep her from bouncing back. When she pulled away slightly to look up at his face, he lightly pulled one hand free to brush stray hairs behind her ear.

“Hello,” she sighed, feeling content and happy right where she was.

He grinned, “Yes, hello.” He quickly pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You gave me quite a fright for a moment there, young lady.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled, lying her head on his shoulder. She didn’t want to admit it – _wouldn’t_ admit it – but she was still scared. After everything that happened at Amy’s wedding, all she wanted to do was curl up in the library with her Professor and forget about the universe for a while.

In the comfortable silence that enveloped them, Billie took a moment to look at their surroundings. Not that there was much to see. They were encompassed in inky black darkness that seemed to press in on them, making her feel blind. She quickly glanced up at the older Professor and sure enough, she could still see him as if they were standing outside in the middle of the day. The darkness surrounded them without touching them. It was eerie.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Billie stepped back without really leaving his embrace. As always, the Professor, no matter the form, was a source of safety and comfort for her, and she’d be damned if she’d let that go right now. But she did need some answers to the questions swirling around in her head.

“Professor,” she began slowly, thinking over every word carefully, “Not that it isn’t wonderful to see you, but what are we doing here? And where _is_ here exactly?”

The arm still wrapped around her shoulders squeezed her reassuringly while the other hand gestured with the cane at the darkness, “This, my dear, is limbo. More importantly, this is what _your_ mind thinks of as limbo.”

“The place between life and death?” she asked and he nodded, smiling proudly as he always did when she understood without explanation. Her eyes widened as realization set in, “I’m _dead_?”

He sighed, pulling her into his chest to give her another hug, his breath fanning out over the top of her head as he kissed her hair, “Yes and no. You see, we are technically still in your own mind. You are walking a very fine line at the moment, my dear. You can either go on to the next world and be with your brother once more, or you can go back to the land of living and rejoin myself and the others who are anxiously waiting at your bedside as we speak. But that decision must and will fall solely on your shoulders. I cannot make it for you.”

She nodded into his chest, breathing in the scent of time and spice that clung to him even now. Her body relaxed of its own accord and she sagged against him, forcing him to tighten his hold on her waist.

Logically, she knew she should go back. Back to Aunt Sarah, Donna, Josie, Jack, the Doctor. But mostly back to the Professor. Because she knew if this was in her mind, then the Professor she was leaning against was just that. In her mind. A figment of her imagination. Her way of coping with this. Not that she was complaining. She’d rather not do this on her own.

Then there was that voice in the back of her mind, begging to see her big brother again. Aside from the Professor, Greg had been the one to understand her best growing up, always taking her side in their ongoing battle against their mother. When he had died while fighting in Afghanistan, she’d been crushed, her whole world crumbling down around her. Aunt Sarah and Donna had really been the only things keeping her together at that point and even that had been difficult. Neither woman could really make her better, but they kept her going, made sure she at least tried to live the life her brother wanted her to have. It would be indescribable to be able to see him again, even if it meant death.

The Professor’s hand gently stroking her hair, soothing her as she thought through her options, brought her back down to reality. And reality was, despite missing her brother terribly, there was one that left a throbbing pain in her chest when she even thought about leaving him. She snuggled closer to him, inhaling his scent to comfort her.

She was torn and no matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t make a decision. The right thing to do escaped her, dancing tauntingly just out of reach.

“You don’t have to decide now,” the Professor’s voice rumbled against her ear where it was pressed to his chest. “I knew this would be difficult for you, you see, so I devised a way for you to objectively look at your life. Hopefully that will give you what you need to make a decision.”

She looked up to see him smiling down at her affectionately. It was that type of smile that always made her feel all warm and gooey inside and made her breath catch in her throat by how stunning he looked with his guard down. It seemed that she would permanently have that reaction, no matter his incarnation.

Swallowing thickly, she pushed out a question in (hopefully) a normal voice, “Okay, so how does that work?”

His smile widened to a playful grin, “Tell me, what was it that Sarah Jane always read to you on Christmas Eve?”

“ _A Christmas Carol_. You know that.”

“Of course,” he nodded. “How would you like to experience it for yourself?”

Her eyes widened in understanding. What had she gotten herself into now?

* * *

She had to continue to blink for several minutes before her eyes adjusted to the light and she was able to see clearly again. It was more difficult and a longer process than it should have been. Looking around, Josie realized she was sitting in a room that didn’t just have bright lights all around, but seemed to be _made_ of the white light. Unease settled in the pit of her stomach. This place, while beautiful in its own right, felt wrong to her. On so many levels.

“Josie,” the male voice from before called her attention. She turned and started at the sight before her. A man sat cross-legged beside her, a recorder lying across his lap. His black hair had a bowl cut, reminding her of the Beatles, one of her favorite bands, and he wore a scruffy suit, too big in some places and too short in others, with a crooked bow tie and plaid pants. Biting her lip to keep in a chuckle, she knew exactly who this was. Who else would wear this monstrosity and still warm her from the inside out with nothing but a smile?

“Doctor,” she greeted as she turned to fully face him, their knees brushing against each other.

He tilted his head to the side, studying her through narrowed eyes, “How are you feeling?”

She shrugged, not really wanting to get into the details. That would take too long. Instead she asked what seemed to her to be the most important question at the moment, “Where are we?”

“Limbo. Sort of. The limbo in your mind, anyway.” He paused to study her again, reaching out to take her hand comfortingly. “You see, when you and Billie fought the Caxer you had to take it into your minds, make it split so that it was weaker. Then and only then was Billie able to kill her half, and thus automatically killing the half in your mind as well. But that took a toll. Neither one of you were equipped enough to handle that sort of strain on your minds and bodies.” He stopped suddenly, looking down rather than at Josie.

“We died didn’t we?” she whispered, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

“Not exactly,” he said slowly. She raised an eyebrow, indicating for him to continue. “As I said before, you are in limbo. You can either go to meet your maker, or you can go back to live your life. The choice is yours, Josie.” He squeezed her hand as he finished, letting her know he’d be there every step of the way.

Josie bit her lip, thinking hard. Normally she wouldn’t hesitate in saying she wanted to live. She wasn’t one of those morbidly depressed people who constantly wanted a way out, despite the dangers in her life. But thinking back on all that she had done, all that had been done to her since she was a little girl, she realized she was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of pushing herself forward, of shoving everything that bothered her and haunted her to the back of her mind where she could box it up and try to forget it. She was tired of the mind numbing visions of the future that, while easier to handle now, still kept her up at night in fear of what she may see when she let her guard down. Perhaps death really was the better option for her.

Her answer was on the tip of her tongue, but when she looked up, her eyes locking with the Doctor’s, and she felt that rush of warmth and safety he always brought with him, all she could think about was everything she was leaving behind. Was her life with this odd alien really that horrible that it justified choosing death?

She sighed, twisting until she was lying down again, her head back in the Doctor’s lap, “What should I do, Doctor?” He automatically began running his fingers through her hair, lightly messaging her scalp.

“I can’t tell you, my dear,” he said quietly. “This is something you _must_ decide for yourself. However, I can perhaps do one thing to help, if you wish.”

“What is it?” she asked eagerly, turning her head to look up at him.

“Have you ever read _A Christmas Carol_?”

Josie’s brow furrowed. What did that have to do with anything? “No, but I’ve seen the movie.”

He nodded, “Good enough, I suppose.” Gently he eased her back into a sitting position before continuing, “Do you remember the plotline very well? With the three ghosts that come back to haunt Scrooge?”

“Yeah, the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future right?”

“Very good. Well, the same is going to happen to you. You will be visited by three…beings who will show you your past, present, and future. Including but not limited to Christmas.” He smiled.

“Wait, beings?” she raised an eyebrow. “What kind of beings?”

He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, “Honestly?” he sighed. “Three Doctors.”

She laughed, “What?”

“You will be visited by three incarnations of myself. One from your past, your present, and your future.”

She nodded in understanding before eyeing him, “And which one are you?”

“I, my dear,” he sat straighter, puffing out his chest a little, “Am the original. The first Doctor. And I am merely here to inform you of what is happening. Once you’re ready, I’ll leave and the Doctor that will lead you through your past will appear.”

“Just appear? Like out of thin air?”

He tilted his head, thinking, “Good question. I’m not sure. I suppose you’ll find out soon enough. Ready?”

Taking a deep breath she nodded, standing as he did. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his coat momentarily. It was nice to know she wouldn’t be doing this on her own, that he’d be there every step of the way, even if it wasn’t _this_ him. But then again, when was the last time he let her have an adventure by herself?


	42. The Christmas Spirit: Rewind

She was left alone in the darkness. Feeling oddly vulnerable just standing there, Billie slowly sank down to the ground, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. She stayed like that, rocking slightly back and forth to dispel her nerves, for what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes. The dark never came any closer, but she couldn’t help squinting out around her, not wanting to be caught off guard should anything suddenly appear.

“What are you staring at?” a voice asked calmly behind her, causing Billie to squeak in alarm and scramble to her feet. She froze at the sight of the man standing with his hands in his pockets, appearing for all the world like it was just another day. A grin stole across her face a second before she launched herself across the space between them, into his arms. He chuckled lightly, stroking her hair in a familiar way to calm her.

“I missed you,” she pulled back to smile at him. “This you, I mean.”

The Professor straightened his Technicolor coat smugly, “Naturally. Who wouldn’t?”

She rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten about that big head he had back then. Not that it wasn’t now, but it seemed to have diminished some after the war, like he doubted himself more. It broke her heart a little every time she thought of that.

“So aren’t you here to show me my past or something?” she decided it’d probably be best to just get this over with. She didn’t have _that_ bad of a childhood but she wasn’t looking forward to reliving it either. Hopefully the Professor wouldn’t drag up anything too horrible.

“Right you are,” he nodded, wrapping one arm around her waist and turning her so they faced the same way, her head automatically falling to his shoulder. “Time to take a little trip down memory lane.”

She scrunched up her nose at him, “It really isn’t going to be that interesting, you know. I haven’t really done much yet.”

“Billie Jean Smith,” he scowled disapprovingly at her, “Don’t you dare begin to doubt yourself. You have done more and become more in your scant years alive than most Time Lords have done in a thousand years. I will not have you speaking of yourself that way.”

Smiling shyly, she nodded and placed her head back onto his shoulder now that he was done ranting. He was one of the few people who could make her feel better about herself, even through a scolding.

He sighed, “Besides, this isn’t about what you have done, it is about what you’ve experienced.” Her brow furrowed in confusion and she felt his finger gently smooth out the lines before he continued, “The experiences, and more importantly, the people who have influenced you helped form you into whom you are more than any task or achievement could. Do you understand?”

“I think so,” she said slowly.

“Good,” he nodded. “Because we have a limited amount of time for everything you need to see. Are you ready?”

She took a deep breath and stood straight, taking his hand firmly in her own and nodding for him to continue.

“Now let’s see,” he stared off into the blackness for a while, thinking. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?”

Billie just shrugged, “Seems as good a place as any.”

He gave her a clearly not amused look that didn’t quite reach his twinkling eyes, “Just look ahead. Everything you need to see will appear right there.”

She nodded again, turning her head to where he indicated in time to see a pinprick of light appear, slowly growing larger until it was the size of a large television screen in front of her. She raised an eyebrow in question but the Professor shook his head, gesturing for her to watch. The “screen” flickered between the bright light and snow for a few moments before a picture formed. Immediately Billie’s eyes began to water as she recognized her younger self with her big brother. They were in the park, Billie on the swings as Greg pushed her. She couldn’t have been more than five at the time, her stubby legs kicking through the air as she squealed in delight. Greg was biting his lip to keep from laughing at her.

“Greg,” she whispered brokenly. If there was one thing she missed about her life on Earth, the one thing she could never have back from her childhood, it’d be her big brother. The Professor’s hand squeezed hers, giving silent support as though he knew what this meant to her. He probably did.

Going back to the screen, a group of boys (Greg’s friends, Billie realized) began waving Greg over, asking him to play. Greg simply smiled, shook his head, and pushed Billie a little higher.

“I remember this,” she chuckled, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. “Even though he was always so popular, he’d always set time aside for me. It was nice, to have someone who would seek me out to play with me, even if they probably had better things to do.”

“Billie Jean,” the Professor growled warningly.

“I know!” she replied in defense. “I’m not putting myself down. But at that age I’m sure he’d much rather play with his friends than his bratty baby sister.”

“You’re wrong,” he whispered, pulling her into a one armed hug and pressing a kiss to her hair. “And you were never bratty.”

She giggled, the last of her tears fading as the scene changed. Her jaw clenched when she recognized what was happening. It was another one of those epic fights with her mother. Billie was about seven when her mother first told her in anger (to her face at least) how she’d been a mistake. How her mother wished she’d never had a one night stand with a random stranger and gotten stuck with her. Billie watched as her younger self burst into tears and ran away to her room. Greg was there in a heartbeat, face flushed with anger directed at their mother as he wrapped her up in a bear hug and promised she would never be a mistake and he loved her no matter what.

Wiping away the fresh tears angrily, she turned to the Professor, “Why are you doing this? I don’t want to watch any more of this!”

He stopped her from turning away, taking her hands into his, “I know, dear girl. I know. But it’s necessary. If you hadn’t experienced all this, you and Greg wouldn’t have been as close as you were, and you wouldn’t have learned how to tell who you can trust and who you can’t as easily as you do, even without your gift.” He lightly kissed her forehead. “Besides, if I remember correctly, it was a similar situation that led you to meeting me.”

She chuckled at his rakish grin, remembering the events that led to her being sent back to World War Two. It was true that her mother’s yelling was what had sent her running from the house that day in search of peace. And in a weird twisted sort of way, she got it.

At the thought, Billie heard the screen buzz as the scene changed again. She smiled at her distressed nine-year-old self sitting up in bed sniffling as the Professor with the multi-colored coat and curly blonde hair settled in next to her, pulling her into a hug.

“ _Everything’s alright Billie. No need to be afraid of bad dreams. Nothing can hurt you there._ ”

“ _Read me a story?_ ”

“ _Of course, precious girl. Which one will it be tonight?_ ”

Present-time-Billie gently rested her head against the Professor’s shoulder again, sighing, “I suppose it wasn’t all bad. If it led me to you.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

She snorted, but decided to ignore that comment for now, “Can we please have a few more good memories. I’m sure I have a couple stored away.”

He grinned, “Of course.”

The screen flickered before revealing a fourteen-year-old Billie standing nervously next to a large silvery gray animal.

“Romana!” Billie smiled excited. “That was my first competition! I didn’t win anything but it was nice to show off my first pet.”

“You named a horse after my sister?”

She blushed, not realizing how that seemed until that moment, “Well, er…you see, she was the one who suggested horseback riding…and I…well…”

He rolled his eyes, “Nevermind Billie. It hardly matters now. Just watch.”

She smiled as she complied, staring at her miniature climbing shakily onto the horse and guiding it into the ring. She completed most of the jumps, just a few mistakes knocking her down to fifth place. Enough to make her smile, and Aunt Sarah encourage her to continue the lessons. Greg is missing from the stands, already gone off with the military, but there’s Donna who by then had become an almost permanent fixture in her life and Mickey, her old best friend from the estate with the obvious crush on her. By the time they reach eighteen it would come to the point where Billie couldn’t take it anymore, after a huge row he leaves back to South London and doesn’t talk to her again. Donna caught up with him once (even though they never got along) and found out he’s going out with someone now and they’re happy with a baby on the way. Billie was glad. He deserved that.

The scene shifted to a couple years later. An unfamiliar house was packed with teenagers, most dancing or at least swaying to the music while holding plastic cups filled with God only knew what. Donna’s conspicuous mane of red hair could be seen in the middle of the throng, swinging widely as she bounced to the beat. It took some hunting but finally Billie could see herself standing near the refreshment table, drink in hand, staring unseeingly into the crowd. People moved around her, not really seeing her as they yelled to their friends in order to be heard over the music.

“Why are you standing by yourself?” the Professor asked, drawing her attention to him. He was frowning at the party scene in front of them, eyes narrowed in a way that reminded her of when he looked for a weakness in an enemy that had threatened her.

She squeezed his hand comfortingly and shrugged, “Donna always dragged me to parties, even if I didn’t want to. Said I should be more social.” She rolled her eyes. “Really I was just there to make sure she didn’t drink too much.”

He continued to frown, but dropped the matter as the scene changed again. Billie sucked in a sharp breath as her heart dropped. This was just not right. The Professor’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her in place when everything in her told her to run. It didn’t matter where, but she couldn’t stand by and relive her brother’s funeral. She just couldn’t. And she shouldn’t have to.

Tearing herself away from the Professor, she gave in to the urge to run, ignoring his shouts as she sprinted off into the darkness, no longer caring about her purpose for watching all of that in the first place. She knew deep down that she had to see it all in order to form a solid decision on what she wanted to do. Go back, or go forward. But none of that felt important at the moment as she pushed herself further, reveling in the feel of the cold air rushing past her face, whipping her hair back behind her. She ran until her legs began to strain and a stitch began to form in her side. Then she collapsed onto the hard ground, curled up into a ball, and began to cry like she hadn’t in a long time. She refused to stop. Even when a pair of familiar leather-clad arms wrapped around her and cradled her to an equally familiar firm chest. She simply grabbed fistfuls of his wool jumper and continued to bawl.


	43. The Christmas Spirit: Playback

He really did just appear, like she thought. One minute she was watching the first Doctor slowly fade into the distance and the next she was blinking up at _her_ first Doctor. Just as she remembered, stick of celery and all. He smiled sweetly at her, opening his arms to welcome her into a hug. She grinned into his coat, glad to be with a familiar form again. She’d missed his hugs. Not that the present Doctor didn’t give wonderful hugs, but that didn’t stop the small amount of longing for these softer, less intense embraces.

Josie sighed as she remembered exactly why he was here, why she was able to hug him, “I really don’t want to do this.”

He gently pulled away to frown down at her, “No one really wishes to relive bad memories, Josie. But looking at it in hindsight may give you enough clarity to make a sure decision about your future. You don’t want to do anything rash, now do you?”

She shook her head slowly, momentarily feeling like a child again.

He smiled slightly, “Don’t worry. You’re not alone.” Holding out his hand, he smiled as she grasped it tightly and took a deep steadying breath.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“Good girl.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly and led her away into the surrounding light as it began to shimmer around them, as though it weren’t really light, but water reflecting light, and someone just tossed a pebble into it, causing it to ripple around them. Steadily it began to darken and indistinct shapes began to form in the distance. The Doctor stopped them in the middle of seemingly nowhere as their environment changed and solidified. Josie blinked in surprise. She knew this place.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “This is my – my mom’s old house.”

The Doctor just nodded in agreement, eyes trained on the door down the hall where they stood. Josie felt a drop of dread settle in her stomach. Something was horribly familiar about this moment. The Doctor’s stiff posture next to her did nothing to relieve the tension suddenly squeezing the air from her lungs.

A door creaked open on Josie’s right, startling her. Her head whipped around to see a small ginger poke her head out. Josie couldn’t believe she was watching a four-year-old version of herself, tears staining her cheeks, creep out of her room and head to the door down the hall that the Doctor hadn’t taken his eyes off of.

“Doctor,” she asked uncertainly, her feet automatically carrying her forward. The alien just squeezed her hand, urging her on.

She stopped outside what she now realized was her mother’s bedroom door, peeking in to see her little self shaking her mom awake, “Mommy?”

Josie swallowed, the memory rushing over her as she watched. Tears began to prickle at her eyes and she blinked them away, willing herself not to cry. Her mother finally woke up and cradled her young daughter in her arms, asking what her bad dreams had been about. So little Josie had told her everything, every detail she could remember. She didn’t notice the look of horror on her mother’s face. How was a four-year-old supposed to know that her nightmares were considered dark and twisted even to adult standards? Especially once they started coming true. The little girl had no idea the awful years waiting for her.

Spinning away, Josie marched back down the hall followed closely by the Doctor, “Why show me that? Want to rub in my face how my mom _used_ to love me? How if I had been _normal_ she wouldn’t have sent me away?”

She was jerked to a stop and strong hands gripped her shoulders, “Listen here, Josephine Stewart. It wasn’t that your mother _didn’t_ love you. It was that she didn’t know _how_. You were different, by any standard and she didn’t know how to handle that. She thought she was helping you. She was sadly mistaken, of course, but that doesn’t mean her intentions weren’t good.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” she hissed back. She refused to see reason on this. Just this once, she would retain the right to be angry, to hate her mother with every fiber of her being. The things she’d been through in her childhood because of that woman’s decisions were justification enough.

The Doctor sighed and shook his head sadly, clearly recognizing a losing battle when he sees one, “There’s really nothing I can say to make you think differently. I know. And you deserve to be angry. I just wish you wouldn’t let it consume you like you do.”

She bit her tongue to stop her trite reply. She didn’t want to fight with him. None of this was his fault and she shouldn’t take her temper out on him.

As they stood at a stalemate, their surroundings shimmered again, twisting around until it formed another memory. A much happier one. Josie smiled at the off-key Christmas carols floating over from another room. Completely forgetting why she was angry with him, she snatched up the Doctor’s hand once more and hurried after the music, knowing exactly what she’d find.

In a large lab housed deep beneath UNIT headquarters where they generally would study new alien tech, a large bushy, horribly decorated Christmas tree was set up in a corner with presents piled beneath it. Workers had on Santa hats, elf ears, and reindeer antlers as they sipped eggnog, swayed to the music, and crowed carols they really shouldn’t be singing. A six-year-old redhead made herself known in the middle of the festivities, giggling madly as her grandfather waltzed around the room, swinging her around to Bing Crosby.

“This was the last Christmas before…” Josie trailed off her explanation, unsure if she could make herself say those words. “My last Christmas with Granddad,” she said instead.

The Doctor nodded, a small smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close as they watched the girl she had been opening presents from most of the UNIT workers. She’d been a sort of favorite niece to them as they rarely, if ever, got to see their own families. It was moments like this that Josie had lived for once.

The scene shimmered out of existence to be replaced by a sight that made Josie’s stomach drop. _No_. It couldn’t be…

But it was. She watched, frozen in shock, as her mother, now a little older, a little more weary, marched up the steps leading to the towering Torchwood building with a seven-year-old Josie where the tall bird-like woman who had once been her handler was waiting for them. Josie’s face was streaked with tears as she begged her mother to let her go home, not to leave her here. Her mother didn’t listen, talking quietly with the other woman before turning and leaving. Not once did she so much as glance down at her only child.

Gritting her teeth, Josie closed her eyes against the flow of tears and shook her head, “I don’t want to see anymore. _Please_.”

Arms folded around her comfortingly, “Shh. It’s okay, Josie.”

“No it’s _not_. It’s never okay to do that. _Ever_.”

“I know. But it happened. It’s part of what made you as strong and loyal as you are. Because you know what it’s like to be abandoned by someone you trust with your entire being, so you would never do that to someone else.”

She buried her face in his cotton vest, choking back a sob, “Why did she leave me?”

“You may never find out _exactly_ why she left,” he pressed his lips to her hair quickly. “But that’s hardly the point. What are the chances of you meeting me if she hadn’t?”

She paused. “I haven’t thought of it like that.”

He chuckled, “Of course you haven’t.”

She playfully smacked his arm as she pulled out of the embrace, “Shut up.”

Now that she had her eyes open again, wiping away the tears that had leaked out, she could see that the scenery had changed again. Instead of standing outside of Torchwood, she was in the middle of a field of purple grass with marshmallow trees dotting the horizon and bright yellow sky above. It was alien and familiar all at the same time. Finally her eyes fell on two easels that stood a few feet away, one smaller than the other. The Doctor, identical to the phantom one beside her, stood at the larger one, but wasn’t really doing anything with the half-started sketch in front of him. He chose, instead, to lean over to where an eleven-year-old Josie stood attempting oil paints for the first time. He was guiding her hand and telling her all the techniques as well as little secrets he’d picked up on his travels including a rather funny story involving Leonardo Di Vinci.

“I remember this,” she chuckled, listening to the story again. “This was fun. Though I can’t recall where the Professor and Ace were.”

“Starting a revolution, I believe it was.”

“Oh yeah.” Strange how that sounded so normal to her. This was her life. She smiled. It _was_ her life. Despite the rough start, she had a good life, she realized. She had a good family, even if it was a bit eccentric, and adventures, and she was happy. Why should the rest matter?

“I don’t think I need to see any more.”

The Doctor chuckled, “Trying to get rid of me already?”

She laughed, “Not at all. I just don’t really _need_ it.”

He smiled but motioned for her to keep watching as the room (if it was that) shimmered again. She saw her teenaged self sitting in a very nice restaurant with her grandfather, a few UNIT personnel she remained close to, a couple school friends, and Amy and Rory. There was some sort of celebration going on, but it wasn’t until she caught a snippet of conversation that she remembered it was for her very first gallery showing. She’d even managed to sell a painting or two for an incredibly higher amount than she originally thought.

The Doctor pressed a kiss to her cheek and whispered in her ear, “Congratulations,” just as the scene began to change again.

They were standing outside the small house belonging to her grandfather as a freshly eighteen Josie hugged him tightly. He was reminding her to call often and write whenever possible. Amy leaned out of the waiting car to yell for her to hurry while Rory rolled his eyes from behind the wheel.

When the scene finally faded after they drove away, Josie was still smiling widely. She still couldn’t believe how stupid they’d been, traveling around Europe for a year with nothing more than the car (which broke down somewhere in Greece; naturally none of them spoke Greek) and the clothes on their backs.

Her surroundings returned to the original bright light, signally the end of whatever this was. She turned to talk to the Doctor, only to find him gone. She was alone once more.


	44. The Christmas Spirit: Home Movies

Well that was just plain rude. Why’d he have to go and disappear on her like that? Not even a goodbye. She frowned. She was really going to miss that him.

Suddenly long, deceptively strong arms wrapped around her middle and spun her around in the air, making her squeal. She kicked out as he continued to spin her around for a few minutes, occasionally pretending to place her down only to swing her back up.

“Doctor!” she squealed. “Put me down!”

He sighed, placing her feet back on solid ground. She turned to find her present Doctor pouting, “Spoil sport.”

She rolled her eyes, deciding to just focus on the task at hand. The past hadn’t been half as bad as she thought. The present couldn’t be too horrid. Could it?

“So…” she began.

“So…” he echoed, back to his childish glee.

“Doctor,” she tried to sound stern. Now wasn’t really time for playing games, even if she was fighting the urge to laugh.

“Josie.”

“C’mon,” she stifled a giggle.

“Did – did you just stamp your foot?” he asked incredulously. “Have you regressed to childhood then?” He whipped out his glasses and sonic screwdriver, scanning her as he clucked his tongue, “I knew showing you the past would be a bad idea.”

She finally allowed herself to laugh, throwing her head back as she shoved him away. He grinned triumphantly and she realized what he was doing. He’d been worried the past would upset her and wanted to make her feel better. She lunged forward and gripped him in a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you too,” he kissed her head before lightly pushing her away. “But we have something to take care of now.”

“Right,” she nodded. “What exactly are you going to be showing me? Obviously the present, but I mean, are we going to watch people right at this moment in time or something?”

His brow furrowed in confusion, “Why would we want to do that? What if they’re in the shower or something?”

She rolled her eyes, “No, I mean like in _A Christmas Carol_.”

He sighed, “I really shouldn’t have given you that as a reference. No, nothing like that. We’re just going to watch some of the things we’ve done while traveling.”

“Oh, our adventures?”

“No,” he grinned. “The other bits.”

Now it was her turn to be confused, “Huh?”

His grinned widened, if that were possible, and he took her hand excitedly leading her away into the light.

* * *

By the time her tears ran dry and her eyes became scratchy and sore, Billie had regained her rational thought. Leaning back she blinked up at the Professor, the one with leather and ears. She whimpered weakly before sinking back into his familiar form.

“Shh,” he soothed her, running a callused hand through her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head weakly, “Not your fault.” Her voice was hoarse from crying, but she pushed on, “I should’ve known that would’ve come up.”

“Still…” he trailed off, cradling her close to his hearts, the double beat resounding in her ear calming her better than anything else in the universe. She rested there until she thought she had strength enough for whatever awaited her next. The present couldn’t be half as bad as that had been. Then again, some of those so called adventures…

“What are you going to show me?” she finally asked wearily. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

He chuckled lightly, adjusting so that she was sitting more comfortably against his chest, “Nothing too horrible. I promise.”

She tilted her head back, allowing it to fall against his shoulder, “What is it, though?”

“You’ll see,” he stubbornly said, forcibly moving her head to look ahead. She grunted in annoyance but watched as a large screen appeared in front of them. When the large countdown started like in the old movies, she snorted humorlessly. What the heck was going on now?

The screen flickered before showing the interior of the TARDIS. One of the gardens. Billie’s favorite garden. It was more of a field actually, dotted with various wildflowers mixed into overgrown grass that she could get lost in when lying down. A light breeze made everything sway gently as colorful butterflies fluttered from flower to flower. It was peaceful, quiet, beautiful. One of Billie’s favorite places to just lie around and rest after an adventure.

The Professor appeared in the field, gazing around and obviously searching for something, a frown etched on his face. But he was also moving very carefully, trying not to make a sound as he stalked, panther-like, across the field. Billie had to stifle a giggle as she saw herself emerge from the grass behind him, grinning before sinking back down, completely unseen.

Behind her, the Professor chuckled, “Freak.”

She laughed, “Look who’s talking.”

“ _Gotcha!_ ” on screen she had just tackled the Professor from behind, surprising him and knocking him to the ground. They both laughed as a tickle fight ensued, the Professor clearly having the upper hand as Billie fell victim to her giggles before the screen went blank.

“Is that all this is gonna be?” Billie asked, twisting around to look at the Professor’s face properly. “Just moments around the TARDIS?”

He grinned his maniac grin, “Well everyone can remember the adventures well enough. I wanted you to remember all the bits in between too.”

She smiled, turning back as another scene came up, “Like I could actually forget.”

* * *

Josie grinned widely, her cheeks hurting as she gazed up at her and her friends floating around the anti-gravity room in the TARDIS. Jack was showing off, doing back flips and other tricks as Josie and Billie clapped and the Doctor and Professor scowled. It had only been about a week since Jack first joined them, but the girls seemed to have an instant connection to him, much to the aliens’ chagrin.

The room rippled as she turned back to the pinstriped Doctor beside her. He too was scowling up where Jack had been. She sighed, “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

“You’re pouting again.”

“No, I’m not.”

Instead of trying to out-talk him (an impossible task) she simply stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, trying to look at anything but her, but there really wasn’t much to look at, at the moment. It took a moment until he finally relented.

“You two barely know Jack.”

“I think we know him well enough,” she shrugged, not really seeing where this was going. “Besides he’s your friend. That’s enough to trust him.”

He stared at her blankly, “Really?”

“Yeah. We trust you and the Professor. If you say he’s alright, why shouldn’t we trust him too?”

He grinned, lightly bumping their shoulders together, “No reason.”

“Well okay then,” she rolled her eyes. “Can we continue?”

As she spoke the light shimmered and morphed into the next memory. They stood on her favorite floor of the wardrobe room. The one with all the prettiest gowns from all over the universe. Josie was sitting on a chaise in a dressing gown, her hair wrapped up in a towel. She had a small box in front of her containing at least two dozen different colored nail polish. Her lips were pursed as she tried to decide which one she wanted to wear.

“So this is what you choose to do on your day off?” a voice chuckled. She glanced up and smiled as the Doctor emerged from the winding staircase in the middle of the room.

She shrugged, “Might as well. Come help.”

His eyebrows shot up as he slowly edged closer, “With what?”

She just rolled her eyes in response and held up two bottles of polish. One was a dark sultry red, the other a bubblegum pink. He grinned and pointed to the pink. Nodding in agreement, she put the others away before grinning mischievously.

“What?” the Doctor asked cautiously, sighing when she held out the polish again. He took the little bottle and began to shake it while plopping down next to her and allowing her to drop her feet in his lap.

As the scene faded, the Doctor shook his head in disgust, “The things you get me to do.”

Josie just stuck her tongue out at him and watched the next bit. She was standing in the kitchen helping Billie clean up after dinner when suddenly she couldn’t see. Reaching up she felt silky fabric covering her eyes. Someone had blindfolded her. Three guesses who.

“Doctor,” she huffed. “What’s going on?”

“Just wait,” he answered quickly. She could feel air blowing on her face and guessed he was waving his hand in front of it to make certain she couldn’t see. “Right then,” he said once satisfied, “Thank you Billie, for that wonderful distraction.”

“What!”

Billie had the nerve to chuckle, “No problem. Have fun Josie. Happy Birthday!”

Josie fought a smile, “Traitor!”

All she got was an echoing laugh in response.

“Come on. Careful now.” Gently the Doctor took one hand in his and his other arm wrapped around her waist as he led her out of the kitchen and down the corridor. They walked for an immeasurable amount of time before Josie’s impatience got the best of her.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?”

“You’re birthday present-slash-surprise,” he said as if it were obvious.

“Ah,” she nodded. “Of course.”

“Sarcasm not appreciated,” he chuckled, guiding her to a stop before turning her a certain way. “Riiiiiight there. Perfect.”

She felt a tug at the back of her head and the blindfold fell away. Catching a glimpse, she could see it had been his favorite swirly tie. She blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the lights before the long rectangular room came into focus and her jaw hit the floor. It was an art gallery, but not just any art gallery. It was an art gallery filled with only _her_ work. It was absolutely breathtaking.

“What? How?” she sputtered.

The Doctor grinned widely, “The Old Girl thought you’d like having a place to exhibit your work. Do you like it?”

“Do – do I like it? Are you kidding me? I love it!” She turned to tackle him in a hug, warmth spreading throughout her body at the thought that this crazy alien would be so thoughtful, because no matter what he said, she knew this had been all him, not the TARDIS.

Josie grinned as the memory came to a close. Who needed her mother? She had her own crazy family right here. She reached out instinctively and grasped the Doctor’s hand tightly. She was so glad he saved her all those years ago. If he hadn’t, she never would have found her best friend.

She frowned. Suddenly that just didn’t sit right anymore. Oh, no doubt about it, the Doctor was her best friend, but suddenly she wanted so much more than that. She froze at the thought. When had that happened?

* * *

Billie laughed uproariously at the Professor’s scowl as he glared at the television. They had just finished watching a moment of Billie, Josie, and Jack alone on the TARDIS, playing truth or dare (with alcohol involved) where Jack had to wear one of Josie’s more revealing dresses for the night, Billie had to steal the Doctor’s boxers from his room while he was in the shower (singing horribly), and Josie had to sneak into the library where the Professor had fallen asleep reading and put make-up on his face. It had been quite a fun night. One Billie never wanted to repeat, but still fun. Unfortunately, the Professor had been unaware of the make-up for the rest of the following day and had been the butt of many jokes on a very masculine planet.

“Is that why–”

“Yep,” she cut him off, still giggling. “Oh, your face – AHHHH!” she fell back onto the ground as the Professor loomed over her, tickling her relentlessly.

“MERCY!” she begged until he finally sat back, grinning. She smiled back, crawling back into his lap as the screen changed again. It showed Billie’s room on the TARDIS, a large lump under the mound of blankets the only sign that she was present. A loud sneeze followed by a horrid round of coughing came from beneath the mound as the door creaked open.

Jack frowned at the bed, “ _You okay, Jeanie? Can I get you anything?_ ”

“ _Nah_ ,” she sounded horribly stuffed and breathless from coughing. “ _’M fine,_ _Jack. Thanks_.”

Still, he lingered on the threshold, not wanting to leave her alone when she was clearly so miserable. They hadn’t known that she’d be so sensitive to the most recent planet’s ecosystem. The Doctor and Professor still hadn’t figured what exactly had gotten her so sick so quickly, but knowing them it was only a matter of time. Luckily, it appeared to be similar to a common flu bug from earth and Billie’s immune system was fighting it well enough with the help of a few antibiotics the Doctor had shoved on her.

The Professor appeared at Jack’s elbow, shoving him out of the way as he entered the room, baring a tray with tomato soup and grilled cheese. The same thing Sarah Jane always made her as a child when she was sick. Billie poked her head out at the smell of food and smiled, pushing herself up weakly until she was leaning against the pillow he’d propped up for her.

The real Billie smiled as well, leaning further back against the Professor. He always knew just what to do to make her feel better, no matter how miserable she may be to begin with. And vice versa. She was one of the few people who could beat back the darkness that always seemed to linger on the edges of his mind. They seemed to have some unspoken bond that held them together tighter than anything else could. They relied on each other entirely.

Billie froze as two realizations dawned on her. One, there was no way in hell she was going to willingly allow herself to die today, no matter how much she missed Greg. There was someone much more important in her life now. Which brought her to number two.

Somehow, someway, when she wasn’t paying attention, she had fallen in love with the Professor.


	45. The Christmas Spirit: Hello, Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The future Professor is modeled after a picture I found of Tom Hiddleston back in 2012. I don't have it anymore but he was in the outfit I described and he was laying back on a couch if anyone wants to look for it.
> 
> The future Doctor is modeled after Eddie Redmayne in Les Miserables.

After her lovely little epiphany, Billie felt completely unsure how exactly she should act around the Professor. The short amount of time he stayed with her felt painfully awkward until finally he was forced to excuse himself. Now she sat cross-legged on the ground, head in her hands, waiting for whatever Professor was supposed to show her the future. The problem was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the future anymore. Judging by Josie’s visions, it wasn’t always a good thing, knowing what was coming for you. And if these new-found emotions ruined her relationship with the Professor, what sort of future would she have? She was certain it wouldn’t be a happy one.

Growling at her own stupidity, she flopped back onto the cold hard ground. What was wrong with her? Why’d she have to go and fall for him? Sure, it had been easy as breathing and she hadn’t actually _noticed_ that it was happening until too late, but that didn’t stop her from blaming herself. If this hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t have to worry about it so much.

She jumped when suddenly a weight appeared on her legs and across her stomach and hips. Pushing herself up slightly on her elbows, her eyes bugged out when she found a man draped languidly across her body, long spidery fingers folded across her stomach and pointed chin resting upon his hands. He had on a gray tweed jacket over a blue pullover with the collar of a light blue button down poking out. His black trousers scratched lightly against her bare foot (damn, he was really freaking tall!) as she tried to kick him off, only to have him grin widely at her. His black, sleeked back hair offset his pale, almost elven-ish face. His smile was mischievous and yet tender at the same time. His green eyes sparkled with some hidden knowledge. It was those eyes that held her still beneath him, gaping. They were so different, but she knew those eyes.

“P-professor?” she stuttered, hardly able to believe it, though her gut was screaming that it was true.

He hummed in response, lowering her head so that it rested on her stomach, his hands dropping to her sides. Well this was new. True, they were always cuddling and things like that, but this seemed much more…intimate. The way he nuzzled into her, his thumbs slipping under the hem of her shirt to tickle her skin lightly, made little shocks of electricity shoot through her. Goosebumps broke out across her skin as he sighed, completely comfortable where he was, as if he always greeted her this way.

“You’re – you’re from the future right?” she asked to distract herself from the warmth beginning to pool in her stomach and spread into her limbs.

He hummed in agreement, nuzzling her again before rising up on his elbows to stare down at her. A strand of black hair fell down into his eyes. It was almost instinctual for Billie to reach up and tuck it back into place, and for him to lean into her touch with another sigh.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Billie dropped her hand. This was all too much. She needed to get back to a normal setting, back to where she wouldn’t feel on emotional overload. Pushing lightly, she got him to shift away from her enough to slide out from under him and sit up, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them in comfort. He just sat up beside her, keeping his distance but smirking knowingly, his eyes dancing as he spotted her hands nervously fiddling with a loose strand on her ripped jeans.

“So,” she began. He was killing her with the silence and the loaded looks. She had to say _something_. “Aren’t you supposed to…I don’t know…show me something, or…something?” Great. Now she was babbling.

His smile softened while his eyes continued to dance, “Oh, but I am.” His voice was deep and just a bit husky. It sent shivers down her spine, though she’d never admit it aloud.

Her brow furrowed, “You are?”

He chuckled low in his throat, his hand flashing out and quickly grabbing her wrist. He yanked her forward onto his lap before she could protest, but it wasn’t how she normally curled up in his lap. Her legs fell on either side of his and he pulled her close so that their chests were firmly pressed together. One of his hands caressed her lower back, keeping her in place, while the other gently smoothed back her loose hair. Billie froze at the contact, making him smile softly again and dip his head down to brush his lips against hers. She stayed completely still as he slanted his mouth, deepening the kiss. She wanted so bad to ignore the heat this simple touch was flooding her body with. But she couldn’t. It was too much. _He_ was too much. And a deep part of her really didn’t want this to end. Her eyes fluttered closed as she finally allowed her body to sink into the kiss, thinking that if she could just continue this forever, she wouldn’t care if she never woke up.

* * *

“It’s not all bad, you know?”

Josie jumped at the unfamiliar voice. She’d been so caught up in her own traitorous thoughts that she’d failed to notice when the pinstriped Doctor had disappeared and this new one had appeared. She spun around and eyed this new entity, shocked at how similar he actually looked to the present one. They had the same gravity-defying hair, though this one’s was a little shorter, a little more tamed. Their faces looked incredibly similar as well, this one just a smidge younger looking, closer to her age. The biggest difference, of course, was the fact that he was dressed in clothes that looked like they came straight out of the French revolution. Literally. The ragged, torn appearance made it look like he had snagged it right in the middle of the war. Then again, he might of. This was the Doctor, after all.

“The future, I mean,” he continued, dragging her back to the situation at hand.

Crossing her arms, she shrugged. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him, she just didn’t want to reveal too much of her recent thoughts. Her feelings were probably best kept to herself at this point. But she knew they were too close to the surface. All he would have to do is prod, just a little, and she’d probably burst into an overemotional mess.

He tilted his head to the side, hazel eyes studying her carefully, “Are you okay, Josie?”

She sighed, “Aren’t you supposed to show me the future or something right now?” Okay, that came out a little more harshly than she intended, but she was trying so hard to keep from spilling her guts, she couldn’t control her tone.

His answering grin was a little ironic, “I think you’ve seen enough, don’t you?”

She sagged under the question. Yes, she really had. He stepped forward and tugged her into his arms, holding her in a light but comforting embrace as he placed his chin on the top of her head. She really couldn’t help herself. She sighed as she snuggled closer. This was…nice. He was unfamiliar and yet he was the Doctor. No matter what body he had, he always made her feel safe and calm. One small hug was all it took to calm the storm in her mind and ease the tension in her shoulders.

“But,” she whispered, not wanting to break the silence. “If you’re not here to show me the future, then why _are_ you here?”

Gently, one of his hands rose to stroke her hair, “So I could tell you myself that the future isn’t always bad. I know those visions of yours can make it seem that way, but those visions only show small little moments that are few and far between. And in between those bits, we are really and truly happy.”

Josie hesitated, unsure of his words, “We?”

“Me. You.” He squeezed her tightly. “The Professor and Billie. Occasionally Jack and Gwen.”

Her brow furrowed, “Who’s Gwen?”

He chuckled, “You’ll see. Josie, we’re a family. We take care of each other, even through the bad times. You’re not alone anymore and you don’t have to keep acting like it. Try letting the others in more. Talk to them about how you feel, your fears. It’ll help.”

Talk to them about how she felt? With her most recent epiphany swirling around in her head, Josie could honestly say she really, really didn’t think that was anywhere close to a good idea. Then again, if she approached Billie or even Jack about it, they could probably help her sort through the mess in her mind and find a way of living with it without letting it ruin her friendship with the Doctor.

Finally, she nodded against his chest.

She could hear the smile in his voice, “Don’t be afraid to feel, Josie.” He dropped a kiss to her head and rubbed her back, “Now, I think it’s time you woke up.”

* * *

The darkness had finally consumed her, leaving her suspended in nothing, floating without a life raft. The Professor had disappeared, but the feeling of his lips on hers still lingered, tingling her skin and warming her body enough for her not to panic. Briefly, Billie wondered if this was her dying. He hadn’t actually asked what her decision was. Then again, knowing the Professor, he’d probably guessed it before even she knew.

Her mind began to drag up the future Professor. Everything that had happened with him filtered through her head like a movie reel. He had claimed he was showing her the future just before he grabbed her and kissed her. A kiss that had thrown her off her axis so completely she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to regain her balance. Never, not once in her life, had she been kissed like that, where she just wanted to stay there, locked with him in an embrace, forever.

But what had he meant? Was that kiss the future he was showing her? Surely not. But then, what?

Before she could come up with a satisfactory answer, the darkness around her seemed to pull back slightly, and she began to drift down. Something solid formed under her, supporting her form in a horizontal position. A light weight was placed over her. A blanket, perhaps? And something familiar was wrapped around her shoulders. Sounds began to become clearer as well. A steady beeping noise she guessed meant she was still alive, and quiet murmuring. Oddly enough, the thing that seemed the clearest to her foggy mind was soft, even breaths coming from beside her.

Her hands twitched and she realized a familiar calloused hand was gripping hers tightly. The movement seemed to startle him even as a call came from further away. There was a scramble of movement before she felt a presence hovering over her, warm breath caressing her face. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of time and spice. _The Professor_. Suddenly she was much more desperate to wake up. She fought against the fog that seemed to envelope her mind, pushing out a small groan.

“Billie,” that sweet, Northern accent washed over her, calming her. “It’s alright. You’re safe. Just wake up now, love. Please. _Please_ wake up.”

At his words, she found her eyelids didn’t feel so heavy. A soft brush against her lips was enough to make her tear them open and blink into the light. The Professor’s face was inches from hers, breaking out into a huge grin when their eyes connected.

His eyes glistened with unshed tears as he dipped down to gather her into a bone crushing hug, “Oh, thank Rassilon!”

She laughed lightly, wrapping her own arms around him despite how weak she felt and smiling when she noticed his leather jacket draped over her shoulders. Maybe that future she’d glimpsed wasn’t as farfetched as she thought.

* * *

Josie let out a small scream as she was suddenly blinded by the surrounding light and the Doctor vanished from their embrace. She called out to him, scrambling to find him with her eyes firmly shut against the white light, but it was too late. The future Doctor had already gone, taking with him the small amount of peace she’d momentarily found.

Then she was falling, plummeting down towards a black abyss. The darkness quickly swallowed up the light and Josie kept her eyes screwed shut, not wanting to see what horror she’d just been thrust in to. Sometimes it was just better not knowing. Her body twisted through the air without her consent until she was practically laying down in the air, wind blowing up against her back making her hair fly up into her face.

As quickly as it began, it stopped and Josie found herself on solid ground, though she couldn’t remember landing. Her mind felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. Noises started to make themselves known, sounding far off. Some sort of beeping was the loudest, and she could make out some soft breathing slowly making itself known. Her mind began to return to visions of her childhood, of Torchwood. Of the experiments they’d put her through before discovering they couldn’t control her visions.

Panic filling her mind, she struggled to move, to find a way to escape. Her hand twitched and she felt it smack against something soft. There was a loud thud as that something fell, followed by a laugh and voices, though she couldn’t make out the words. Josie tried to twist away, only to find her hand caught in a familiar grasp.

She stilled, her eyes finally beginning to flutter open revealing blurry features hovering over her, “Doctor…”

“Hello,” he grinned widely, smoothing her hair out of her face.

She grinned in return, “Hello.”

The adrenalin in her veins calmed, allowing her to take a deep breath. She was safe. Torchwood couldn’t reach her. She glanced at the Doctor who was now babbling away a mile a minute, explaining something to Jack, Billie, and the Professor who were nearby, but she didn’t hear a word. It didn’t matter. She was with her family again. She was safe. She was home.


End file.
